Mahou Mafia Tutor
by Joshua's Tall Tales
Summary: The Magic and Mafia worlds have been kept STRICTLY separated since their inception. But as the Magi World grows in danger of exposure and Cosa Nostra prepares to welcome it's new King, a time of great change and danger is on the horizon and new alliances must be forged. The Vongola send Tsuna to be the ambassador."He may kind, he may be honest, but never forget he's a MAFIA prince"
1. Prologue

Chapter 1 Prologue To Greater Things

 **WARNING: The following fic may contain unnecessary amounts of cheese and B.S.**

 **DISCLAIMOR:** The following is a non-profit fan-based parody, **Katekyo Hitman Reborn** and **Negima! Magister Negi Magi** are owned by Akira Amino and Ken Akamatsu, respectively. Please support the official release.

 **Mafia Boss Tutor Tsuna-Prologue**

' _There were certain beings in this world'_ , one Konoe Konoemon mused to himself as he watched the man sitting in the chair opposite of him, _'that wear power the way an ordinary man might wear a fine tailored coat.'_

Some people were taught from birth through rigorous training to show off their power, their "superiority" over their fellows. Some started from lower stations and painstakingly clawed their way up, imitating what they saw of those successful until they too could stand alongside the privileged few. Then there were those for who were simply born with an almost preternatural instinct to find what made others bend to their whims regardless of background, and that power seeps from them like a scent touching all those who saw them.

' _Which perhaps is why it is so ironic that you as one of the most powerful men in the entire world'_ , for that was _exactly_ who sitting directly across from Konoemon at this very moment, _'seem to exude exactly_ none _of that terrible power at your fingertips.'_

Dressed in a rather simple if expensive brown pin striped suit Timoteo Vongole', better known as **Vongola Nono** the leader of an (somewhat legal) organization both older and significantly more powerful than most of the nations on the western hemisphere; sat directly across him carefully taking in everything around him. Beautiful ( _terrifying_ ) amber orange eyes carelessly flicked across the room with abstract curiosity, seeing far more than ordinary mortal eyes ever could. His body language totally and utterly relaxed, looking more like someone's grandfather popping in to visit an old acquaintance, rather than the powerful near **ruthless** crime lord, who'd ruled unopposed over his empire for the better part of 40 years.

' _In truth, I'm probably far worse'_ Konoemon thought wryly, dressed in a white robe and a pair of slippers, he _really_ looked like someone's retired grandpa out for an early morning walk let alone the head of an ancient and secret organization that was a part of an _even more_ ancient society dwelling in mankind's shadows since its inception. The only thing to ruin their images as a couple of old men catching up (which really, until Timoteo initiated otherwise, they kind of _were)_ were the two lines of fairly dangerous looking men and women behind them both.

Standing behind and to Konoemon's right was **Takamichi Takahata** , hands 'harmlessly' resting in his coat pockets, back leaned against the wall, posture slouched, but tawny eyes shifting with razor awareness. On Takamichi's right was Akashi-kun in a similar posture, hands not reaching for, but within grabbing distance of his neatly concealed pistols, Nijuin was to his right.

On Konoemon's left **Toko Kuzunoha** , the only one on Konoemon's side with a visible weapon; though to her credit she kept her arms visibly flat at her sides and off the blade's handle-this was a _peaceful_ meeting after all- her cold eyes watching the men on the other side of the desk with open distrust. To Kuzunoha's left was **Sister Shakti** , blank eyes neither hostile nor accepting, merely observing carefully. Finishing the line was **Gandofini** whom like Kuzunoha didn't try to hide his distrust.

Behind Timoteo were his most trusted, his **Guardian's** he believed they were called.

There was that old war hawk Coyote **"The Storm"** Nougat to Timoteo's right, as always, metal arm crossed and intimidating; the equally surly **"Cloud Guardian"** Visconti to _his_ right and leaning against the wall behind them both was the scarred morose looking figure of Brabanters **"The Rain"** Schnitten.

On Vongole's left was a younger man mid-thirties the spitting image of the late **"Lightning Guard"** Gamauche II, which meant this was likely Gamauche III; the man had an amused smile on his face, the only one other than the two old men in the center who probably felt as relaxed as he looked. To Gamauche's left was a tall tattooed dark-skinned man with soulless pupil-less eyes that could only be Timoteo's **"Guardian of the Mist"** ; Konoemon always was weary of those who bared powers of the illusive Mist from Vongole's corner of the supernatural world. Finally, to the Mist's left was a young man who couldn't be past his early to mid-twenties whom Konoe couldn't place in the slightest, but by process of elimination, meant that he was Timoteo's new **"Guardian of the Sun"**.

He did not miss the symmetry of the fact that his people were dressed in white suits, while Timoteo's wore black.

It had been years since he'd seen all six weather pattern themed guardians gathered around Tim, but then again the two associates by nature of their jobs did not interact much outside official business. For Timoteo to come himself with his most trusted, _'this was serious business indeed'_ Konoe mused stroking his beard.

At the moment however, the man's attention wasn't on Konoemon or his musings, but rather on his school's nurse/guidance counselor and, for this meeting, personal secretary. Shizuna, bless the young woman, wore her usual pleasant smile, ignoring the rather obvious tension in the room as she handed the Boss of the Criminal Underworld a steaming cup of tea.

"Chamomile tea for you, Mr. Vongole'", she chirped

"Thank you young lady", the elder man accepted with a pleasant grin, rich Italian accent rolling over the words, "your service is much appreciated, as is the great beauty accompanying it."

Shizuna, traitorously in Konoemon's mind, giggled at the small praise. Giggled! He'd showered the woman with far classier compliments than that only to receive blank eyes and an empty smile for his trouble.

"Thank you for your kind words Mr. Vongole'" Shizuna replied demurely

"It is not a kindness young lady", Timoteo said grabbing the woman's hand and pressing a gentle kiss on her knuckles, "but a privilege to be able to give praise to such an angelic creation."

His accent was making the cheesy line sound far more exotic than it honestly should; at least that was the conclusion Konoemon came up with, because that was the only reason Shizuna had to blush and giggle when the Italian _bastard_ kissed her hand.

Konoemon's eye twitched violently as the scene before him overlapped with several others from years past.

An image from 20 years ago, his 18-year-old daughter stuttering and flushed as an older man with "sophisticated" gray edges kissed her hand.

An image from 40 years ago, his wife blushing and tittering as her husband's attractive business associate kissed each cheek in the greeting of European foreigners.

A final image 50 years ago his own mother, far too open and teasing to the flirtations of the young Italian steed on vacation to her beautiful country.

' _Konoka must never meet him'_

Behind him, he could _hear_ Takamichi's stunned silence.

' _Be strong youngin'_ Konoemon mentally sent to his new "brother in arms", _'Good Japanese stock will win out against these intruding gigolo foreigners'_ he thought, calmly ignoring the fact that Takamichi himself despite his name was not in fact Japanese.

"As much as I enjoy sharing tea with an old friend Tim, I believe you asked to meet with me for a reason?" Konoemon asked deciding to get this meeting started.

A long moment passed as his "friend" merely observed him over his cup of tea.

"Your time is running out."

Behind him he felt several of his subordinates straighten, no doubt interpreting Timoteo's words as a threat. Konoemon almost rolled his eyes at their protectiveness, but he couldn't afford to take any attention away from the man in from him.

"Oh, in what way?"

"Humanity is reaching a great age of technological advancement; chief among those advancements, the ability to record digital images and send them vast distances in mere seconds. As wonderful as that may be for the average person on the street who needs to stay in contact with someone on the other side of the world, it is something of a hassle for those who would prefer to keep their activities private from the world at large."

"I see, you are referencing the eventual rediscovery of magic by the rest of the world's populace."

Konoemon stroked his beard wondering where his associate was going with this; it was no secret, despite what some traditionalist might believe, magic was never meant to be hidden away forever. With technological advancement being what it was it was only a matter of time.

"You are of course aware that we are not merely sitting on our bums. I assure you Timoteo we mages are as much citizens of this world as everyone, and too share in these advancements in our society. We _do_ have people that monitor such things."

"It won't be enough." Timoteo stated iron sure, "It won't be another century before the whole thing comes crashing down, if that."

As the other man spoke, his amber eyes glowed as he continued like a judge laying out a sentence on the entirety of the Magi World, "There will be chaos; governments who were ignorant of your world will rally against those whose magical counterparts shared knowledge of their existence. Magi's will become monsters to be fought against, weapons to be used, animals to be hunted. Innocents previously protected by Magi's will be left to the mercy of this cruel world. There will be chaos."

Konoemon narrowed his eyes at the finality in his tone. The crime lord was far from a seer, but the man had an unfortunate (or was it fortunate?) tendency to casually make simple ( _terrifying)_ almost prophetic statements.

It was apparently a family trait that had been passed through the generations and was even a requirement necessary to become the boss, if he remembered correctly what little of Vongola history he'd been allowed to learn during their younger days. It was this blood trait, more than their intelligence, ruthlessness, and the ever mysterious " **Flame Power** " that insured Timoteo's family, **The Vongola** , remained the strongest most influential family in the Underworld without fail for over four hundred years.

As it was the tension in the room had magnified to an 11 at Timoteo's prophecy of doom.

"Do you have proof of these accusations?" Takamichi asked speaking up for the first time during this meeting.

"Yes", Timoteo answered blasé' and Konoemon already knew what he was going to say before he even said it, "My intuition has been screaming these things to me for quite some time now every time I eat Sushi."

Konoemon, the only one on the magical half of the room aware that Tim was being dead serious resisted the urge to strangle the man across from him.

"Intuition" Shakti asked, obviously making an effort to sound polite about it, but everyone in the room could hear the barely held back irritation, and Konoemon was at least thankful it was her who asked the pointed question, anyone else might have said something insulting, which would have been fatal in the presence of Timoteo's Guardians.

"Whenever I eat Sushi, yes." Timoteo answered back with the utmost seriousness, and Konoemon couldn't help noticing the rather fixed expressions on his guardian's faces, though Gamauche looked like he was trying to contain a snicker.

As it was Konoemon found that he could follow the not quite sane logic of the Vongola man rather easily. Timoteo's intuition, or **Hyper Intuition** as it was called by members of the family, gave the man the ability to make incredibly ( _scarily_ ) accurate deductions based off ridiculously small amounts of evidence; it was likely Tim had picked up on the signs of the Magic World's apparently disturbingly rapid decline that lay deep beneath the surface. Tim who had a business, a military, and a country to run likely didn't give much thought to the magical world _except_ when he ate Japanese food, because Konoemon as the only one in the magic world that Timoteo semi regularly interacted with was Japanese and they made it a point to eat Sushi during their meetings.

Unfortunately, bereft of such explanation, the magical contingent of the room was far less amused

"Is this a joke to you."

Toko, the swordswoman had apparently lost patience with dealing with "criminal scum". Behind him Timoteo's guardian's _twitched_ at the hostility in her voice; from the corner of his eye Konoemon could see his own subordinates _twitch_ back. Sharp but subtle hand movements from the two men kept the peace, but the tension that swirled around the room had been considerably upped.

It wasn't her fault, for very good reasons there were few in either Magical or Mafia Worlds that knew about each other, and those who did generally despised the other. Magi's looked at Mafioso (perhaps rightfully) as criminals allowed to skirt the law because they had supernatural powers and were mostly ignorant of the responsibility those like the **Vongola Famiglia** and **Arcobaleno** had to the world in exchange for such power. **Flame Users** of the Mafia, looked at magicals as naïve interfering fools at worst and tools to be used at best. Tools they would take shameless advantage of, that is if they didn't have to jump through a thousand and one hoops set up by the keepers of Mafia Law, whom encouraged the separation of powers and absolutely no one wanted to cross.

"I assure you young lady, I'm not in the habit of telling jokes during serious meetings." Timoteo answered back unconcerned by the swordswoman's ire, "I assure you, if Konoemon does not heed my warning for what it is, his granddaughter and her friends, might not make it to as ripe an age as he himself."

Narrowing her eyes, Toko abandoned any attempts at looking civil and dropped her hand to the blade on her hip at the perceived threat.

Across the room Brabanters Schnitten, _did_ _not_ appreciate the hostile action towards his boss, and the _sching_ sound of a blade being released from its sheath filled the room.

"TOKO ENOUGH" and the room froze as Konoemon allowed some power his considerable power to leak, "We are having a conversation like civilized adults, if you cannot control your need for violence because someone said something _you didn't like_ ",Konoemon stressed, making his point humiliating clear to the prideful woman "you are free to leave as the rest of continue."

The woman in question winced, firmly chastised, and put away her sword,

"Yes sir, my apologies sir." And Konoemon almost immediately forgave her, the grown woman sounded like a kicked puppy.

On the other side of the room the scarred Rain Guardian kept his blade at the ready, but a deliberate cough from his boss made him sheath it, and the tension of the room went down minutely.

"Well, this is quite the vital information you've brought to my attention Tim" Konoemon continued after a moment of silence, ignoring the slight (but silent) incredulity of those behind him, "But I must ask, _why_ you bring this information to me, and why _now_?"

"You don't think I would worry for old friends when such visions of death plague my old bones Konoe Konoe?" Timoteo asked using his old nickname with an innocence so seemingly genuine he would have bought it if he didn't know _exactly_ who he was dealing with.

Timoteo Vongole was most assuredly _not_ his friend; he never had been and barring some massive catastrophe that forced their implicit cooperation, never would be. The mafia and magical worlds were kept separate despite both having a hand in what could be considered the supernatural for very good reasons. Sometimes a flame user crossed over into the Magic world, able to disguise their unique power as magic or even Ki, considering the similarities between the two powers. Sometimes, someone from the Magic World without training in more advanced arts could be passed off as someone with **Mutated Flames** ; which was known to happen in those with long bloodlines in the Mafia. Vongola's Hyper Intuition was apparently once such mutation of **Sky Flames** unique to the Vongola bloodline.

Otherwise the two men interacted with each other based on necessity more than anything; he was a friendly acquaintance at best, an ally in keeping the peace even, but Konoemon never forgot that at the end of day Timoteo Vongole' cared and put forth his own above all others. If standing back and watching as an entire people die out kept his own safe, he would do so without the slightest of hesitation. Timoteo Vongole' was **not** his friend, but he was a good man.

"I think," Konoemon answered swirling his cup, "That you would be far more likely to hide away and keep your family safe than risk them being mistaken as magic; your kind certainly have more connections with the world governments of today than my own."

Which was true, unlike magic and magi's, Mafiosi were regularly accepted as a known part of the world's balance of power, even if their Flames were not. The founder of the Vongola Famiglia had no hesitance in making alliances with and even absorbing military and religious powers from other nations into his family, even having the audacity to invite foreign royals to serve under him.

Though Konoemon had no _exact_ proof, he was vaguely sure that Italy, Vongola's base of power, had not had a free government for generations; Vongola were not the kind to bow to the influence of someone else if they could help it.

"If you fall, others will fall with you, and war doesn't give a damn about technicalities"

True even so, "So why are you _here_ , Timoteo?"

"You've said it yourself" the man answered amber eyes staring into his soul and thoroughly unnerving Konoemon, though he'd never show it, "We have connections to government powers, connections you will desperately need in the coming days."

"Are… are you suggesting an alliance" no that wasn't right, but it couldn't be, "Are you suggesting we bring the two worlds together!?" he asked wide eyed.

Timoteo gave a curt nod

Konoemon sat back mind racing hundreds of miles a second, the work that would be needed, officials to be called, Businesses'! They would flourish, prejudices would need to be overcome, the risks were terrifying to consider, THE GAINS were too tantalizing to even dare to hope!

"Vindice" Konoemon managed to cough out, because if there was any force on Earth that could stop such a thing it was those apostles of destruction. **Vindice,** wardens of **Vendicare Penitentiary,** and **The Keepers of Mafia Law.**

"Ah" Timoteo smirked looking so insufferably smug at Konoemon obvious flustered state that Konoemon wanted to slap him, "It just so happens, that the leader of the Vindice owes my grandson several favors and the two of them are… well not allies, but on friendly speaking terms."

The smirk on his face grew more as Konoemon gaped, _'SOMEONE WAS ABLE TO TALK TO THOSE MONSTERS!? No even before that, he'd actually knew who the leader was!?'_

Immediately Konoemon was assaulted by a memory from almost 50 years ago when he'd first met Timoteo; a man from the mafia side had broken some heinous law and had tried to hide himself in the Magical World, Timoteo had been hunting him down in Magical Japan on behalf of his mother, **Vongola Ottavo**.

 _Black Flames appeared from the shadows like something out of a horror flick._

 _Bloodlust and pure_ _ **hate**_ _flooded the room, as a cold scent of death swirled in the air._

 _The man, disgusting child murder, eyes wide and terrified_

 _The blond foreigner that gotten on his nerves for the past week stepping in front of him, his own orange flames wrapping around them both protectively._

 _The man's last desperate leap for his weapon and aimed not at the shadowy figures but_ _ **at his own head**_ _, before chains appeared from thin air wrapping around him dragging him back to three bandaged figures in black overcoats and top hats._

" _ **Carlo Lorenz Eni, you have been judged GUILTY**_ _"_

Konoemon shivered briefly at the memory before changing the topic, "I wasn't aware one of your boys left behind an heir."

Across from him some of the light dimmed in Timoteo's eyes, and Konoemon cursed himself; Timoteo had once had four sons, Enrico, Federico, Massimo, and the youngest Xanxus. All but Xanxus were dead now, and last he'd heard the boy had had to be locked away because he was too much of a danger to the family and himself.

"Ah, he is my **Outside Advisor** 's son and is a grandson to me in all but blood." Timoteo answered a little bit of life coming back into his eyes at the mention of the young man. And Konoemon thought to his granddaughter's best friend Asuna that Takamichi had dragged into their lives almost a decade ago and sympathized. "Or perhaps even in blood as well, he is born from an old Japanese line of the Vongola."

Konoemon raised his eyebrow, "Is he…?"

Timoteo nodded, " He is to be my heir" which meant he had powerful Sky Flames and V.G.I (Vongola Hyper Intuition). "It's good that we brought him up, I would like to ask you a favor."

And had Konoemon's eyebrows not already been glued to the top of his forehead, they would be now, Timoteo Vongole' did not ask favors, he **took** what he wanted.

"I would like you to allow him admittance to your University"

Konoemon felt a serious shift in the room, his teachers' naturally interested in the prospect of new students of any kind, but more so than that, a solemnity had entered the Vongola contingent of the room at the mention of the boy.

"I'm always willing to welcome those willing to learn Timoteo, this is a school first and foremost." He answered truthfully, and honestly even without Tim's ludicrous ( _tantalizing_ ) proposal to merge the two worlds in some kind of long term plan to safe magic and maybe expose it ahead of the natural progression, he would welcome the heir to Vongola anyway if only to help build bridges with a future big player of Underworld and Supernatural politics.

"If I may ask I feel, there may be some more to your request though old friend. If you mentioned his apparent, ah, partnership with your law keepers, then I assume he is to play a bigger part in your merge the worlds plan."

"His name is Tsunayoshi, and he's recently begun taking over duties of an Underboss, before the next three years are up he will take over for me completely"

Konoemon blinked, that was very important information; the leader of the Mafia World was stepping down. Konoe knew how chaotic the transfer of power could be, just look at the mess with his son in law, 15 years later and there were still massive tensions between their two organizations; though in fairness that was more do to Eishun's decision to send his daughter and the unknowing symbol of peace to his school here in Mahora rather than in Kyoto. Still Konoemon couldn't help but question,

' _Only three years and you want to send him here to a foreign country?'_

"I know, it's a short time frame." Timoteo nodded, responding to Konoe's thoughts as if he'd spoken aloud, much to the man's slight irritation. Tim had made it a game to speak his thoughts out loud the first time they met, making the young man paranoid he could read thoughts.

V.G.I was the best detective in the world, everything was an open book to those who had it. Which come to think of it was probably why this meeting, tense moments included, had proceeded as smoothly as it did considering how insane Timoteo's proposal was.

But Tim's face was not amused at infuriating him like it was during their younger days but worried and sad.

"I have put much on Tsunayoshi's shoulders, perhaps more than my predecessors did on their own heirs, at least for the age he was when he began his training." The man continued morosely, "As it is he has taken it all with little complaint, but I fear if I do not give him time to have the childhood I ruthlessly stole from him he will break."

"So, his attendance?", Konoemon asked, still suspecting there might be more to the story, but was probably more personal.

"Will be a working vacation more than anything." Timoteo answered, "A chance to get away from it all, while doing something **good** , a task worthy of a prince of his station, creating bonds and alliances for the Famiglia, and helping someone in need. He is quite the seeker of righteous justice, my heir."

Konoemon stoked his beard, already intrigued by this 'Tsunayoshi', a righteous man in the Mafia? He could see why Timoteo would pick him, other than a lack of other heirs.

"Very well" Konoemon nodded, "We will see him on the first of the new semester."

"Perhaps, for the sake of building relations between future leaders, you can find a way to put him with that class of supernatural heirs you plan on having young Mister Springfield teach." Timoteo casually name dropped, "Maybe as a student teacher or tutor between his classes at the university, he's quite adapt at tutoring." He said with an amused glimmer in his eyes.

Behind him he heard Takamichi startle, no doubt his protective instincts for the boy flaring at hearing a Mafia boss was aware of his friend's son's movements. Konoemon more used to his now ally's propensity for dropping bombs without care didn't even blink at the apparent breach of security.

"How did you-"

"Know?" Timoteo cut off the young man behind him with an innocently surprised expression that didn't reach his eyes in the slightest, "I'm sorry was it supposed to be a secret? My apologies, but you really shouldn't leave such information lying around for anyone to find then."

"It wasn't _lying around you-_ "

Konoemon raised a hand cutting off a repeat of Toko and the sword incident from twenty minutes earlier, who looked like she wasn't going to say a word for the rest of the meeting if it killed her.

"Very well"

"Headmaster-", Akashi-kun interrupted this time, and Konoemon was reminded that his daughter was in that class.

"Peace, Timoteo is as man as good as his word, if he vouches for his grandson I'm inclined to believe the young man's intentions. Besides we'll have to get used to his presence none the less. Tell me is any good at English?"

"It is one of several languages he has been made fluent in, business purposes you understand."

Konoemon nodded, good perhaps a university student looking to teach for college credit would do.

"If that's all then?" he asked.

Timoteo nodded and the leftover tension of the room dissipated as he made it clear the meeting was for now over. Rising to his feet using his gaudy cane, which was definitely _not_ just a cane, as a support stick, returning to looking for all the world like a harmless old man once more, he held a hand for Konoemon to shake.

When their hands met, Timoteo's hand clenched and a sudden insufferable heat entered the room as the old man's eyes _glowed_ neon orange and it was no longer hard to see this man as anything other than as the Black King of the Underworld.

"Know this though Konoemon," Tim- no, Vongola Nono warned, "Tsunayoshi is my _last_ heir, if _**anything**_ fatal happens to him under your watch, regardless if it's your fault or not, we _**will**_ **Hunt. You. DOWN.** "

With that he let go of his now slightly raw hand, and returned to pleasant old man so fast, you'd think the last few moments were a hallucination if not for the smoke coming off Konoemon's sleeve.

"I'll be seeing you Konoe" he said cheerily as he and his guardians made their way out the door.

Then they were gone, and silence reigned in the room in the wake of old Mafioso's threat. Takamichi pulled up a monitor showing their progress off the campus as Shizuna rushed to inspect his hand.

On the monitor an old man in a brown pin striped suit waltz out to parking lot filled with four or five dozen armed men in black suits who all straightened and bowed when the man came into view. Turning to give one last orange eyed look at the hidden camera, the man entered the limo, and took off.

"Well headmaster" Takamichi said putting a cigarette in his mouth, "You've certainly done it now; a mafia boss is coming to Mahora whether we like it or not now."

 _Yes, Vongola Decimo is coming to Mahora_

 **AN/: (Important Information)**

So, this fic will be almost solely based off the **manga adaptions** given that I am frustrated by Reborn!'s unnecessary fillers and random changes.

Examples include, making Tsuna's eyes brown instead of orange their listed as, changing their motorcycles into flying bikes that only hover two feet in the air, but most of all the complete tension breaking of Millefiore Arc, where they take breaks from the near apocalyptic future for…reasons…yeaaaah, no.

 **Harems:** I typically hate this genre if only for how terribly unrealistic they are, but it wouldn't be a Negima fic without one, so I'll probably put a few joke pairings in. I'm also experimenting with my ability as a writer to include romance, so don't be surprised if you see some jaded crap.

 **OC's (Original Character):** I'm as weary of them as the next reader, if you don't like one tell me.

 **Future M/A rating:** There will be blood, 'nough said

 **Plot:** I intend for this fic to go for the long haul, so for the first couple chapters don't be surprised if it moves a touch slowly, Tsuna won't even be known to most of 3A until maybe four or five chapters in. And his Guardians won't be joining him till significantly later.

 **ALSO:** This is a **fanfic,** it's **supposed** to deviate from the main plot, so please please please no late-night PM's about how "this didn't happen in the book/show". Well no shit Sherlock, if there's one thing I can't forgive it's a boring fic. If I wanted to read the written version of my favorite show, then I'd… well no I wouldn't want to **read** the script of a 30 min television show. Ugh.

 **LEAVE COMMENTS** : As someone who's not getting paid to write this crap, comments are what keep me going. Updates will come maybe every other week, I'll try to be quicker, but I'm no Dean Koontz… or **Coeur Al'Aran** , seriously minimum 10,000-word chapters for 3-5 stories each, every single week. **Beast, man, Beast.**


	2. Chapter 2 Foundations

**Disclaimer:** **See chapter 1**

 **Chapter 2 Setting the Foundations**

 _4:37 a.m. In a castle outside Palermo, Italy_

' _ **BOOOM!'**_

"GODDAMMIT STUPID COW IT'S TOO DAMN EARLY FOR THIS SHIT!"

"SHUT UP MONKEY, YOUR SCREAMING IS CAUSING MORE NOISE THAN ANY OF US!"

"GUYS BE QUIET TSUNA HAS TO WAKE UP IN A FEW MINUTES!"

"SHUT UP BASEBALL IDIOT, IT'S THIS DEVIL WOMAN MAKING ALL THE NOISE!"

' _ **BOOOOOOOOM!'**_

"DAMMIT STUPID COW I SAID IT'S TOO FUCKING EARLY"

" **EXTREME EARLY MORNING SHOUTING CONTEST!"**

" _ **SHUT UP RYOHEI/TURFTOP/IDIOT!"**_

' _One day'_ , one Tsunayoshi Sawada thought to himself dead eyed as he stared at the criminally small numbers on his alarm clock, ' _God as my witness, one day I WILL snap, and I WILL murder every last one them in THEIR sleep.'_

Because _of course_ after his friends had gotten the idea to throw him a farewell party (the night before he had to be up at **5 a.m.** to take a flight to one of the most important meetings of his career) that lasted till past midnight, AND he'd had to stay up an extra two hours to arrange for the damages they had all drunkenly incurred to be taken care of; they would no doubt decide to wake him up a good thirty minutes early with their arguing.

 _Of Course_.

Judging by the slight slur in Hana's voice, Takeshi's unnecessary volume when telling them to be quiet, and Ryohei's Ryohei-ness, they likely hadn't slept the alcohol out of their system. This left no excuse for Lambo, who was a child and kept firmly away from alcohol, and Hayato who would be at this meeting with him and like Tsuna had abstained from drinking last night. But then again Hayato was operating on just as little sleep, and he had an idea of why little adopted brother was deliberately being such a brat to explode, whatever it was he was exploding to make that unnecessary noise.

Letting out a defeated groan, Tsuna pulled himself into a sitting position, idly noting the presence of his other two adopted siblings who had snuck into bed with him for his final night in Italy for the foreseeable future.

A small smile twitched especially at little Fuuta's presence, the boy was fourteen closing quickly on fifteen; the young man had told him not two years ago (quite passionately at that) that he was too big to sleep in his brother's bed anymore, and would not do so again. This was maybe the eighth time he'd broken his promise this year.

Little I pin laid (somehow) scrunched up underneath him, her elbow digging into the older boy's neck; neither seemed to notice or care, sleeping through the _still going on_ chaos happening outside of the room.

Pressing a kiss to both of their heads, this would be the last time he'd be seeing them for a while, he got up and got dressed in the suit and tie that had been laid out for him the night before, letting out a small hiss when his shirt rubbed against his newest in a long line of scars across his chest.

It was still a little sensitive to the silky material most of his clothes were made out of, and to think Big Brother Dino kept trying to get him to get some tattoos. Why on earth would he willingly stab himself with a needle to create a fancy shaped wound he wouldn't be allowed to heal with Flame Power?

Before stepping out to greet the chaos that was his Famiglia, he saw a blue flashing light on his phone indicating a message. Tsuna grabbed at it seeing it was a message from his **Chief Advisor** and former home tutor, **Reborn**. With a raised eyebrow he read the last-minute advice from the man who'd made him who he was today, only to deadpan a second later.

 _{Message Sent Today 3:58 a.m._

 _Sender: The Demon_

' _Dame-Tsuna I know it's your want to do, but don't fuck up your meeting._

 _If you make the Vongola look bad I'll hunt you down and kill you._

 _Signed World's Greatest Hitman Reborn' }_

Tsuna stared at the message with a bland face as his tutor pretty much made it apparent he expected Tsuna to fail; he'd even added a set of nonstandard emoji miming Tsuna being shot in the head, all ending with his signature arrogant title.

"Asshole"

*Bling, Bling*

New Message

Tsuna blinked at tapped the message when he saw it was from Reborn again.

 _{Message Sent Today 4:48 a.m._

 _Sender: The Demon_

' _For calling me an asshole your training will be upped 3x'}_

' _Is there a listening device on my phone'_ Tsuna thought, not putting it past his sadist advisor

*Bling, Bling*

New Message

 _{Message Sent Today 4:49 a.m._

 _Sender: The Demon_

' _No listening devices you're just easy to read Dame-Tsuna'}_

"How would you even know what my face is like!?" Tsuna yelled at the phone

*Bling, Bling*

New Message

 _{Message Sent Today 4:50 a.m._

 _Sender: The Demon_

' _I'm the World's Greatest Hitman'}_

'Are the capital letters really needed,' Tsuna thought not even phased by arrogant response

*Bling, Bling*

New Message

 _{Message Sent Today 4:50 a.m._

 _Sender: The Demon_

' _YES, THEY ARE NEEDED'}_

"NOW YOU'RE JUST SHOWING OFF!" Tsuna yelled at the phone

"Oi, Sawada, you sound like you're awake in there?" He heard a voice coming from outside the door, and sighed putting his phone away,

"Yeah, I'm coming now Hana"

When Tsuna stepped outside the door, it was to the controlled chaos that was Vongola HQ.

Vongola Head Quarters was a _massive_ castle sitting just outside the city of Palermo that function both as a home for the elite members of the Famiglia and their various subordinates, as well as a center of business. The original castle was built nearly four hundred years ago by their founder **Vongola Primo** , all together the castles had undergone no less than 126 renovations, 7 expansions, and had had to be rebuilt entirely from the ground up twice, both times using the schematics of the original.

The building itself was never asleep; people were constantly coming and going at all hours of the night and day, typically depending on how legal the business was. Even here in the residential section of the mighty castle there was usually a clean-up crew present cleaning up the Famiglia's latest mess. In this case, Tsuna's going away party; tame compared to most family get-to-togethers, no burnt furniture, markedly small amounts of bullet holes, and there was only two- no three, random barn animals on the premises.

"The idjit monkeys are causing trouble", a clearly sleep deprived looking Hana Kurokawa, groused to him. Her eyes were red, her hair out of place, and oh dear had she said 'idjit' instead of idiot; to be using improper grammar, Hana must be very out of sorts indeed.

"I'll take care of it Hana, why don't you get back to bed and I'll send Ryohei-nii to you when I'm done, okay?" he replied kindly.

"Y-yeah, that's fine" the girl mumbled, a bit of red appearing on her cheeks, clearly embarrassed at how blatantly he called her out on the fact that the young couple was sharing a bed.

' _Hana pacified, and vengeance for interrupting my sleep executed'_

Was it petty that Tsuna was deliberately putting a good friend on the spot for something mostly not her fault? Yes, yes it was. Did he care? No, no he didn't. Tsuna was a boss, a teacher, a big brother, a fighter, an occasional lover, and the generally overworked employee of his task master grandfather; sleep was a commodity more precious to him than fine wine, gold, and in rare cases his own mother. You bet your ass he was going to avenge it like it was his long lost son passed away before its time.

"Good night, or rather morning Hana, I'll see you in a month or two."

"Y-yeah, night Sawada, have a safe trip." She mumbled before turning in the direction of her, or rather Ryohei's room.

Chuckling Tsuna continued on his way down the hall until he reached the family dining room, not to be confused with the Famiglia dining room used to host other Famiglia, or the Posh-men dining room used to host some wealthy someone or other that didn't have any particular connections to the Underworld.

Along the way he tiredly smiled and expressed commiserating nods with equally tired staff members all too eager to switch out with the morning staff that started their shift at six.

He even pointed out to one poor girl maybe a year or two younger than him, who'd dropped her gun a few feet back, clearly still new as her name didn't immediately come to him; all Vongola staff were deadly trained and armed at any given time, the night shift in particular.

The girl had flushed a pretty pink, and thanked and apologized to him in rapid Italian. Tsuna had merely laughed and tried to let his **Internal Sky Flames** (the invisible life force that Mafioso used to fight and bond with one another) wash over and comfort her.

Which apparently had not been the right thing to do; he'd underestimated exactly how new the girl was to the Vongola and Flame Power in general, because as Tsuna's flames (his very essence) washed over her, her face went pinker and her eyes dazed at his smile. Before Tsuna could awkwardly excuse himself, Middy an older member of the crew appeared out of nowhere and yanked the other girl by the arm away from him, but not before giving him an admonishing glare.

"Stop staring into space stupid girl and get back to work, you still got an hour left, your shift ain't over!" She tore into the young woman even as she dragged her away.

"S-sorry Signora", but Tsuna didn't miss how her eyes flicked back to him, neither apparently did the older groundkeeper if the narrowed eyes she shot him meant anything. Tsuna could only smile apologetically and continued on his way to the dining room only to run into,

" **SAWADA, GOOD MORNING WE ARE HAVING AN EXTREMELY EXTREME EARLY MORNING SHOUTING MATCH.** "

"SHUT THE FUCK UP TURF TOP, NO WE'RE NOT!" screamed a voice from the room up ahead.

"Ryo-nii" Tsuna replied back calmly, as he gazed at sleep desecrator number two.

Ryohei Sasagawa, Tsuna's own **"Guardian of the Sun"** , just as Brow Nie Jr. was Grandpa Ninth's; a tall tanned young man just hitting twenty, a powerful boxer and wielder of particularly energetic **Sun Flames** , and an older brother figure of Tsuna since middle school. He was Tsuna's inner circle's trainer, heavy hitter, and aspiring medic.

He was also the president of the Disturbing Tsuna's Precious Sleep Club, and had oh so graciously delivered himself to Tsuna for his humiliating punishment without having to be hunted down.

"Ryo-nii you seem upbeat…more so than usual anyway." Tsuna replied oh so pleasantly, "How much sleep have you gotten?"

" **NONE, I'VE STAYED EXTEMELY AWAKE THIS WHOLE TIME TO SAY GOOD BYE TO YOU WHEN YOU LEAVE!"**

Which was pretty much the conclusion Tsuna had drawn; now then, how best to use this, hmm. What did he have to work with, an overly hyper Ryohei for one who despite his energy his body was probably begging for him to stop. Ryohei's sister was (thankfully) not present so he couldn't use her, but he did have a frustrated Hana who was waiting for him in his room.

If anybody asked, the smirk that briefly came over his face was only because he'd had a wonderful idea on how to help his brother work out that excess energy; it was not devilish, or Reborn-like in the slightest.

"Hey Ryo-nii, I won't be leaving for another hour," he started off innocently, " and it would be terribly unfair to make you wait that whole time, why don't you go ask Lussuria-nee(que shiver) for an early morning spar, I'm sure he/she would be up for it."

The shemale probably would be too any other time, he/she had made clear his/her interest in Ryohei's body long ago, a fact that would ordinarily make Ryohei keep his distance… ordinarily.

Right now Ryohei was running on such little sleep that what little safety precautions his brain actually had were long muted, and Lussuria, for all he/she was willing to play grab ass with him normally, took his/her beauty sleep **Seriously** , capital 'S'.

Lussuria, who slept on the other side of the castle with the rest of **The Varia** \- Vongola's elite assassination squad- would most likely kick the ass of the energetic but sleep deprived Ryohei and the older man wouldn't have the strength to make it back to a sexually frustrated Hana any time soon.

Vengeance x2, and if it inconvenienced the Varia _bastards_ who'd shown up ate his party food, drank his liquor, picked a fight with his guardians, and then left before clean up?... well strange coincidences happened all the time in the Vongola household.

" **EXTREME IDEA SAWADA!"** screamed the poor doomed fool.

"I do what I can to help Ryo-nii"

" **EXTREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEME!"** the fool sprinted away

Tsuna continued on with his rather eventful journey to reach the dining room only to find it mostly clear, Takeshi and Lambo had most likely heard the vengeful Tsuna coming and had made tracks while he was busy with Ryohei.

Takeshi Yamamato, Tsuna's **"Guardian of the Rain"** , wielder of the deadly calm **Rain Flames** a swordsman like many other rain users in the Mafia as well as an avid baseball player had been one of Tsuna's closest friends since middle school.

Takeshi, who had literal killer instincts, was staying at the Vongola Castle for the holidays, before returning to the states. After high school he'd been drafted by a major league baseball team in the states, during the off season he worked part time with the Varia and Reborn as Vongola's currently 5th best hitman.

"Tsuna-sama" his right hand man, and one of two remaining people left in the room, greeted him from the table with a cup of coffee in hand.

Excepting the no doubt overly caffeinated drink, Tsuna took a long worshipful sip of the holy nectar, and shivered.

"Hayato", he addressed the other young man in a deadly serious and slightly husky voice, " Have I ever told you that I love you."

"Every day tenth" his right hand smiled, green eyes sparkling with amusement, "but I've yet to get tired of hearing hit."

"Good, cause I'm going to say it, I. Love. You." He spoke putting as much emotion in to the words as possible.

Hayato Gokudera, wielder of the ever chaotic **Storm Flames,** as well as several other flame types, was naturally his **"Guardian of the Storm"**. He was the unofficial leader of the guardians, the tactician for Tsuna's inner circle, the Right Hand man, and the Chief of Staff for the various legal Vongola business that were directly under Tsuna's control.

"This" said a voice breaking the loving **manly** stare of manship, "this right here, is why people think you're gay."

"Good morning Haru" Tsuna greeted the far too perky brunette sitting on the other side of the table, Haru Miura, _Hayato's_ girlfriend as well as the Personal Assistant and general manager of the guardians and Tsuna's inner circle, respectively. She was also _Tsuna's_ ex, but the less said about that the better.

"No, the reason people keep thinking that is because you keep spreading those rumors you bitch" Hayato responded in their 'unique' expression of love.

"No, it's really not" she replied pointing behind them; Hayato and he turned around only to see a small group of maids loaded up with breakfast foods watching them with heavy blushes on their faces.

Tsuna sweat dropped even as Hayato grumbled at her to shut up, but Haru only continued to tease; it momentarily broke into a bitchfest that was typical of a relationship between someone **with Storm Flames** and someone with **Lightning Flames.**

The two flame auras worked well together, 'like brothers' he'd been taught, but also like brothers they tended to get on each other's nerves.

Tsuna for his part ignored the bickering couple and sat in on the delicious breakfast in front of him, his mind turning to the work he had ahead of him for the next year or so, as well as the conversation leading up to this project.

" _I'm sorry Grandpa can you repeat that I don't think I heard you right."_

" _You heard him right brat" a grumpy voice interrupted_

" _Thank You Coyote", both Tsuna and Timoteo said at the same time, Tsuna sarcastic and Timoteo exasperated._

 _Coyote and Tsuna's rivalry had begun long ago and showed no signs of getting better._

 _Coyote was the epitome of the old school traditional Mafiosi; Tsuna was brat who'd fought tooth and nail to be kept out of the Mafia, and it was only when he was told that he'd be allowed to break Vongola's bloody traditions did he put up 'less' (not zero)of a fight._

 _Coyote was of the firm opinion that Tsuna was a disrespectful brat, with no control over his Famiglia, who was leading them all to ruin. Tsuna was of the firm opinion that Coyote was a dick._

" _Just assuring little_ _ **Serafino**_ _his hearing was working well" Coyote groused using Tsuna's Italian name._

 _Typically he didn't like being called it by family; it was for business purposes only and felt too impersonal; 'coincidentally' he never complained when Coyote used it._

" _You heard me correctly Tsunayoshi", Grandpa 9th continued, apparently willing to ignore the animosity between his right hand and his heir, "there_ **is** _an entire world hidden all around you that is capable of wielding magic. We of Cosa Nostra have long held certain non-aggression pacts with their leading government associations. We_ **are** _about to break the barriers between the two worlds. As the mafia's unofficial prince you would be the ideal ambassador for first contact… and yes their stationed in a school of all places._

" _Are you absolutely sure this is magic, and not some Famiglia of people with undiscovered flames the way the Shimon Family was?"_

" _Positive", the old man said amused, "you can ask Vindice, they have all the appropriate records"_

' _Well that pretty much seals it' Tsuna thought 'If its_ _ **Bermuda**_ _'s men then it's pretty much guaranteed to be true.'_

" _Wouldn't somebody else be a better first choice ambassador, aren't I… you know… too important" Tsuna asked, somewhat mortified at describing himself as such, but over the long years of being with (_ not in, never **in** _) the mafia, it was a fact he'd come to except. He refused to risk his friends' lives rescuing him because he'd underestimated his own importance._

" _True, we could send one of our guardians or some other elite members from our world, but Konoemon and I both share the opinion that such bonds should start with the young." Tsuna's grandfather acknowledged, " That leaves you and your Famiglia, Yuni and her Famiglia, or Byakuran and his Famiglia as the only ones with the appropriate power, influence, and age to be sent."_

 _Then his grandfather leaned back an stroked his mustache contemplatively as if an idea had just occurred to him, " I suppose one of the_ _ **Arcobaleno**_ _could be sent, they're not children but they could pass."_

 _Tsuna felt a shiver run down his back at the thought of those prideful ridiculously powerful monsters being sent on a_ diplomatic _assignment._

 _Yuni's family would rather die than send her on a mission without at least 6 platoons and a tank as a guard._

 _Byakuran and his were barely as sane as Varia- who themselves were a bunch of psychotic sociopathic sadists(and one masochist), which also exempted the Varia themselves._

 _The Shimon were the appropriate age and power, but lacked the influence to speak for all Cosa Nostra. Anyone else Tsuna could think of failed for previously mentioned reasons, leaving him and his own circle as the only ones capable._

 _His Storm had too many responsibilities already, his Cloud and Mists wouldn't go even if he told them, his Sun, though awesome, was not the one you sent for first impressions, his Lightning was a genius but still_ too _young for Tsuna to release his overprotective big brother (mother bear) instincts, which left his Rain._

 _Takeshi was actually perfect, he was scarily observant, likeable, had the infiltration skills of a natural born hitman, and was a very powerful player to send should things get rough. But Tsuna wouldn't send him, Takeshi's dream since boyhood was to play baseball, he sacrificed so much to Tsuna, and now that they had_ finally _found a way to make both Famiglia and baseball work, Tsuna wouldn't, couldn't take that away. The only one better to go than Takeshi would be Tsuna himself._

 _Seeing his grandson's indecision, it was a very big decision on quite short notice, The Ninth made to speak._

" _Tsuna, I know you are not happy here" he said making Tsuna stiffen, " I know you didn't ask for this life, that you've done your best despite all the challenges thrown your way, and made it farther than anyone ever expected. And about that girl…Kyoko"_

 _Tsuna squirmed at the mention of the taboo name_

" _This could be good for you, get away from Italy, your guardians, the weight of Vongola Decimo/Neo Primo; go back to your home country, meet new people, new family, sharpen your skills, learn, see, explore a whole new world." The Ninth continued selling from what Tsuna could read was a "working vacation" of some sort._

" _I'm also told where you'll be working is an_ _ **all girl's school**_ _" the old man finished with a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows._

" _G-GRANDPA" Tsuna's face exploded red, the old man only laughed_

 _Tsuna grumbled about embarrassing elders for a moment._

" _How long will it be?" he finally asked_

" _A year give or take"_

" _So long!?"_

" _A year is far from a long time Tsunayoshi, especially for a project of this magnitude"_

' _Right' Tsuna thought 'exploring a whole new world_ does _sound very time consuming' taking a moment to think on the pros and cons, Tsuna made a decision,_

…

" _I'll do it"_

" _I knew the All-Girls-School would do the trick"_

" _GRANDPA!"_

 _The older man merely laughed before dropping a file in front of him,_

" _This is all the information Konoemon provided about all you should know about the Magi World."_

 _Tsuna didn't even reach for it, merely raised an eyebrow,_

" _And how much do we_ actually _know"_

 _Nono grinned before slapping a damn_ _ **textbook**_ _on top of the file_

" _This is all we're not supposed to know"_

 _Tsuna leaned forward, and flipped through a couple of pages, before looking at the old man with wide eyes,_

" _A magical PLANET?!"_

" _In a separate dimension accessed through Stone Hinge at that."_

 _To Tsuna's credit he only let out a low whistle at the news, "This is going to be the project of a life time"_

" _Indeed, and it would be yours" Timoteo said sliding the other file to him meaningfully; while Tsuna looked up at the shifted tone of voice. "I know I asked for your help in reforming the Vongola and by default the Mafia, but I never said you had to find the long sought after answer to world peace. If there's no peaceful way to keep the smaller Famiglia in line, perhaps an outside influence to focus them on would be better."_

 _Tsuna swallowed and looked into deep amber eyes, heart pounding as the old man handed him, what could be the key to Tsuna's-both of theirs- life's work._

" _As it is there are things only you can do, we need someone to talk to The Vindice before you leave and they decide to reign fire down on all of us."_

 _Tsuna merely nodded, when it came to Vindice, Tsuna was the go to negotiator_

" _I wish you good luck Tsunayoshi"_

"… _Thank You"_

"JUST ADMIT YOU'VE THOUGHT ABOUT IT! HARU PROMISES NOT TO JUDGE!"

"FUCK NO YOU CRAZY WOMAN, KEEP YOUR DAMN FANTASIES TO YOURSELF. GUYS CAN SAY THEY LOVE EACH OTHER NOWDAYS!"

Tsuna slowly blinked out of his musings, and glanced to where Haru and Hayato were still arguing about the apparent gay moment they'd just had.

Satisfied that they were occupied, Tsuna closed his eyes and focused on the meditation technique he'd been taught by Mammon, and focused on his inner flames. Reaching out he saw all the flames that were bounded to him; as a Sky, Tsuna was capable of **Harmonizing** and bonding with those of other flame types.

There were the seven particular flames that Tsuna felt all the time no matter where in the world he was, the flames of his guardians.

Hayato right next to him, flames a beautiful **Storm Red** with small traces of the other elements floating about, fierce and chaotic but tightly controlled. He could also feel echoes of his current irritation and embarrassment.

Takeshi down the hall, flames a calming **Rain Blue** lazily swirling, prepared to become a fierce whirlpool at a moment's notice. He felt echoes of amusement and could guess the boy was close enough to hear Hayato's predicament.

Ryohei on the other side of the castle, flames a blinding **Sun Yellow** overwhelming with their intensity, radiating energy and life. There weren't many emotions echoing, but Tsuna guessed the man was already knocked unconscious.

Kyoya Hibari was not on the premises, upon hearing that Tsuna would be coming to their home country he remained in Japan. His **Cloud Violet** flames were not as large as the others, but they were easily five times as intense. Being in another country at the moment Tsuna couldn't feel his emotions.

Mukuro Rokudo and Chrome Dokuro the two halves of his mist guardian, their **Indigo Mist** flames as ever shifty and illusive and so tightly wrapped around each other it was impossible to determine which of them he was more closely bonded to, which was just fine with all of them. Chrome had been present last night but she'd left early to meet up with Mukuro, but he could feel echoes of the male mist somewhere in the country, which meant he'd already started on his part of the mission, good.

He was about to tug on the last guardian's flames, **Lightning Green** staticky and currently radiating distress, when one of his smaller Flame bonds, this one to another Sky no less, suddenly crashed over him.

Tsuna snapped open his eyes, not surprised in the slightest to see a gun being pointed at his face.

"Trash" said a gruff voice

"Uncle" Tsuna replied, rolling his eyes when the gun cocked at the "nickname".

"Fine Xanxus then" Tsuna sighed using the man's first name.

Xanxus Vongole', wielder of the **Flames of Wrath,** a particularly destructive mutation of Sky Flames adopted son to one Timoteo Vongole'(thus Tsuna's adopted uncle) and leader of Varia Assassination Squad, did not look like he was having a good morning.

"You sent the Boxer Trash to my office."

Oooooh damn, that's right Ryohei went to bug Lussuria who probably was near Xanxus… which meant he probably got more seriously injured than he should have…it really should bother Tsuna that he doesn't _quite_ care.

"I'm sure he just wanted to make sure you didn't miss my departure."

In the next second Tsuna's body _blurred_ as he avoided the bullet Xanxus shot at his head.

"Don't fucking lie trash, Boxer trash didn't find me, you sent him for waking you up, so you sent him to wake me up." The red scarred eyed man growled

"…And your response was to come all the way over to this side of the castle" note: the Vongola castle was an actual freaking castle, capable of functioning as almost a small city in and of itself, Varia office(not HQ) was over a mile away on foot. "…You're weird."

The morning ended as it did every day, with shouts, bullets and flames, The Housekeeper staff with less than an hour to go on their shift was _not_ pleased.

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He finds him in the living room playing a video game; after running away from Xanxus's fury and quite literally ( _quite bastardly_ ) using a surprised Takashi as a friend shield (Vengeance # 3 achieved), he decided to search out his little Lightening Guardian.

Unlike everyone else, Lambo Bovino has avoided him like the plague, hardly acknowledging his presence; after Tsuna graduated high school and moved to Italy full time, he found it harder and harder to find time for the youngest ( _by only two months Tsunaaaa_ ) of their little group. The fact that he's leaving before Lambo's break from school is up is probably all the worse.

Ten year old Lambo sits on the sofa supposedly dead to the world outside of his game… which Tsuna immediately knows to be crap because one, if he didn't care he wouldn't be up at this ungodly hour in the first place. And two, he wouldn't have made so much noise in the morning so that Tsuna would _know_ he was awake at this ungodly hour.

"Lambo" he calls

"Mhmm"

"I'm about to take off here soon."

"K"

"I'll be very busy for the next few months, so we probably won't get much time to hang out."

"We don't hang out now." Lambo response in the same dead tone he's been using since the beginning of their conversation, his eyes haven't left the console in his hand, but Tsuna knows he felt Tsuna's flinch at the words nonetheless.

"S-still, I'd like a goodbye y'know."

"Bye" Lambo says uncaringly, and where Tsuna might ordinarily be irritated by Lambo's attitude, _because doesn't he know that Tsuna's trying to change the_ _ **world**_ _for him_ , he can _feel_ Lambo's emotions through his flames-their frustration, bitterness, **hurt**.

And all Tsuna can do is think about when he was a child watching his own father walk out the door time and time again and how _freaking long_ it took for them to make up, about the awkward moments that _still_ snuck into conversations; because kids don't care your trying to protect the world, _protect_ _ **them**_ , only that they love you, need you and how you. Are. Not. _There_.

"O-okay then. I'll see you later Lambo?" it comes out a question because he doesn't know if Lambo _does_ want to see him later, and his eyes are burning, and Tsuna can't believe he's going to cry over a rejection from a _ten-year-old_.

"Yeah, whatever" Heart breaking just a little, Tsuna walks out the room.

"TRASH!" Tsuna jumps at the sound of Xanxus voice, apparently Takeshi didn't hold him off long, and upon running up to him Xanxus frowns.

"The fuck are you doing trash?" he demands

"Ah, I'm just saying bye to Lambo, do you need anything?" he asks hoping to distract to violent Sky.

But Xanxus only glares at the way he came from, tells him 'not to fuckin move' and enters the room. Tsuna can't help but stare after him, really too stunned to move even if he tried.

There's a bang from inside, the sound of Lambo's whine which makes Tsuna's mama bear instincts flare and almost has him stepping inside, before Xanxus is back with Lambo gripped in his arm,

"You know the world we live in trash baby, that's your father" he hisses lowly

"Brother" Lambo mumbles mutinously before flinching and taking a giant step behind Tsuna at Xanxus's glare, with that the scarred man stalks off, apparently done with the both of them.

A long silence passes in the hallway, both of them a little off put by the violent whirl of emotions known as Xanxus; a beat later Tsuna feels tiny arms wrap around his waist.

"I don't want you to go." A small voice mumbles into his shirt, and Tsuna wraps his arm around the younger boy.

"I know kid, I know."

"My birthday's coming up" he mumbles still refusing to move his head from Tsuna's shirt.

Tsuna pulls him back anyway, "And what on earth made you think I wouldn't show up for that."

"You're leaving for a year. _Minimum_ " the young boy stresses the point Tsuna made to him and the others two weeks ago.

"I'm going to _live_ there, that doesn't mean I won't be visiting." Lambo scoffs, but even so a second later he asks hesitantly,

"Really"

"Of course" Tsuna exclaims, "First Sundays are Law."

Three years ago when their oldest Kyoya graduated high school, Tsuna realized just how hard it would be for all his family to stay in contact with each other, so he enforced a Saturday night dinner. Then two years later when _he_ graduated and they all started spreading out across the _world_ the dinners were changed to the First Sunday, when every Mafioso rather hypercritically showed up to church. It was as peaceful a time as it was ever going to be, and the most likely time he could gather everyone.

Tsuna a notorious cheapskate hadn't been sure about continuing them given as the he himself was the host would be in another country this time, but looking down at the now embarrassed happy face of his little brother decided it was worth it to dip into his ridiculous wealth if it meant having all his loved ones together at least one day a month.

"I'll be seeing you in two weeks Lambo"

"See you in two weeks Tsuna-nii"

' _Just one more stop now'_

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Lukas Burton, not for the first time in his admittedly short life regrets ever joining the Mafia, despite the fact that he didn't really join so much as he was born into it, and his father was a rapidly rising underboss for the newly established Milliefiore-Giglio Nero Division.

Right now Lukas is hugging the side of a frozen mountain as he and the other girl from Milliefiore-Gesso Division- hike up the suddenly very steep incline.

No, unbelievably, it's not the fact that he's climbing up the mountain of a foreign country that's making him regret mafia life, though it's definitely not helping his nonexistent decision.

"Hurry up newbie, you spend any more time down there, I'll think you're getting a free show!"

Lukas hurriedly continues his trek, not that it _wouldn't_ be an excellent view, but he's heard _things_ about this girl, Iris, and what she does to men she seduces.

On top of that they're now technically family and no one smart hits on female family- though considering how distant the two divisions are, their particular situation would be exempt;… STILL it was just bad professionally speaking.

"I'm coming alright! Excuse me if I've never climbed a mountain in some frozen wasteland before!"

"It's been twelve minutes newbie, and we took a car most of the way up!"

"Yeah yeah" he mutters, Iris isn't adding to his enthusiasm for the job either come to think of it.

"Hurry up before Vongola leaves!"

Her warning does the trick and Lukas spurs himself at a faster rate, that's right Vongola Decimo was with them on this trip. He and his right hand had arrived with business suits and briefcases and not even a summer jacket, apparently they were both skilled enough to use their flames to keep themselves warm.

Lukas had to let out an appreciative whistle at the level of control it took to do that, manifesting flames at all was hard enough to do let alone keep just a small barely visible level of heat wrapped around them.

' _ **Kufufufu, you know nothing of true control, boy'**_

A black voice said in the back of his head, a moment later Lukas mumbles out loud confused,

"True control?"

"BURTON!"

"I'M COMING" Lukas screams immediately forgetting about dark thoughts, _'Dark thoughts what?'_

"There you guys are I was beginning to think we'd lost you guys" says a chocolate warm voice, and Lukas looks to see the smiling warm face of the Vongola Decimo.

He's younger than Lukas thought he would be, younger than Lukas himself by a good few years, maybe less it's hard to tell, he just has one of those eternally young faces.

"Bout fuckin time", the young man grumbles next to him, Decimo's right hand, just as young but far more intimidating. Silver hair almost making him invisible in this snow, but green eyes glow, glaring at him like a snow leopard observing prey…and finding it lacking.

"S-sorry" Lukas apologized teeth chattering, not entirely from the cold

"Ignore him Sr. Burton", the Decimo says politely, his polite address unknowingly making him seem even younger, "he always gets in a huffy mood when we have to visit them."

The silverette proves his point by huffing, but Lukas is not focused on that, but rather Decimo's words have abruptly reminded him of exactly _why_ he'd been regretting his life choices. Not because of the Vongola, no, the young man is surprisingly warm like home and chocolate and Lukas knows that if he wasn't already claimed by Princepessa Yuni flames, he'd definitely go Vongola.

No Lukas is regretful because of the figures he can see just up ahead, dark cloaks and bandaged faces watching them. Not with eyes, there are no eyes, but watching them nonetheless.

Vindice

The boogeymen of Cosa Nostra, the keepers of Mafia Law, guardians of Vendicare Prison.

' _ **Home sweet home, Kufufufu'**_ a voice in the back of his head whispered, Lukas ignored it, and moments later forgot it.

 _Why am I here again?_

Because apparently the Vongola Decimo had a meeting with their leader, _AND HOLY CRAP THOSE RUMORS WERE TRUE!,_ and it needed someone to represent Gesso and Gigilio Nero Famiglias.

All the important people were apparently too busy and, _DO YOU HONESTLY EXPECT US TO LET THE PRINCIPESSA ALONE WITH THOSE MONSTERS,_ Division Chief Gamma had yelled at him when he asked why him.

Which basically translated to him as being disposable, really feeling the love family.

 _Why hadn't he gone traitor again_ oh right because Principessa Yuni had batted those big blues and he hadn't been able to say no to her.

He'd asked Iris why she was a representative for Boss Byakuran; her answer had been simple,

" _His right hand is too busy looking after the rest of the psychopaths, and the Boss himself would probably deliberately piss them off for his own amusement"_

Right, why were their Famiglia's merging again?

"Right" Decimo says with a clap of his hands, "We best not keep them waiting."

"Not even a little wait" Lukas heard himself say, but Decimo merely laughed as if he'd told a joke. Lukas idly notes that in bright morning light that the younger man's eyes are actually a startling burnt orange and not the brown he originally assumed, before striding in.

" _ **Vongola Decimo"**_ said the black figure on the right

Lukas whimpered, beside him Iris shifted, and Vongola's Right Hand narrowed his eyes but otherwise doesn't react.

Decimo merely smiles politely and responds with a nod to each black figure

"Jack" he nods to the one on the right, "Alejandro" he nods to the one on the left casually.

…

From the corner of his eye he sees Iris's dumbfounded expression at the casual address, and is sure there's a similar one on his face.

' _THEY HAVE NAMES!? MORE IMPORTANTLY WHAT'S WITH THOSE AVERAGE SOUNDING NAMES, HOW CAN HE EVEN TELL THE DIFFERENCE!?'_

Lukas is sure right then and there that this kind of meeting of powers is definitely above his pay grade.

" _ **Why are you here?"**_ the one on the left asks, and it's just as nightmare inducing as Lukas always tried not to imagine it being.

Decimo's face goes oddly serious, as he pulls something from his suit jacket; a second later Lukas sees it's a letter with a black flame on top. Black?

"We have a meeting with Bermuda." He calls out before handing the letter to his right hand, who in turn hands it to the one called 'Jack', Jack doesn't even scan it, just puts it his coat.

" **Proceed"**

'…'

"Bermuda?" Iris asks after a tension fraught moment where they actually had to walk past the monsters.

"There boss", Right Hand answers

"Oh/Oh" Both he and Iris respond, he didn't even know there was a Boss. What kind of monster does it take to keep a legion of monsters in line?

There's silence as they walk, and not even Decimo says anything to lighten the mood. This place is a place of death and hatred.

Before long they reach a room, that looks surprisingly normal, and its clearly some kind of office. At the desk of the office sits a man in a white button up and a familiar top hat, his face could almost be called babyish, until he looks up and Lukas is greeted with the cold blackest orbs he's ever seen. It's the eyes, that prevent him from looking remotely human; theirs hate in those eyes, _old_ hate; so deep and terrible it reminds Lukas of an old saying he once heard,

" _When you look into the Abyss, the Abyss also looks into you"_

"Vongola Decimo", his voice is…softer than the bandage ones outside. Softer, but even more terrifying because of it. Like a black poison, silky and smooth, seeping into their skin. Lukas feels the urge to clean himself.

"Lord Bermuda" Decimo nods, but doesn't bow to, "I believe you know why we're here"

"I read your letter" Bermuda intones softly, "You wish to repeal the law separating the two worlds"

Ah yes, worlds, plural. Apparently there was a magical world living right alongside them this entire time, who knew? Except apparently the people in this room who are all vastly above the pay grade of a reasonably intelligent gopher like him; Lukas gulps and remains silent, and doesn't ask for a seat even as Decimo sits in the only available one left in the room.

"Yes that's correct, I believe my letter informed you, that the wall keeping the Magicals from public knowledge would be crashing down soon and we wish to keep the fallout from being to expansive." Somehow it doesn't sound nearly as silly when Decimo is the one to say it

"I know, what of it" the man, Bermuda responds

"What of it?" Decimo asks, seeming confused though Lukas is sure he's not, Lukas wishes he was, "If the law isn't repealed, a lot of people will die in the chaos as we can't give them aid without breaking the separation."

"We do not decide the law, only enforce it; your coming here means nothing." Bermuda replied, "Is it not the job of the **Three Great Skies** , to create the law that governs our world."

"True, but your cooperation is as always needed. We cannot change the law if we do not know how it was created."

"That is not our problem"

A thick silence enters the room, and Lucas notices an anger growing in the Decimo. Dark eyes flash bright orange, and suddenly Lukas can't remember how on earth he saw the man sitting next to him as a boy.

"If we do not change the law," Decimo bites out slowly, bitter heat warming the frigid cold air, "People will die out of ignorance of a law they don't know even exists."

"Not our problem." Bermuda smirks evilly and Lukas feels cold panic seep into his soul; _this_ was the Vindice, the merciless boogeyman, the punishers of those who can't be punished by the law. Dear God, WHY IS HE HERE!?

"You as the keeper of said law" Decimo grits out, and Lukas can _feel_ angry sky flames brushing against his soul, it makes him sick "will be the ones exacting punishment, this can't be more _your problem_ if you tried."

"Then I guess you better find me proper incentive, Sawada-Vongole'" Bermuda responds with his arrogant smirk.

The Sawada part of the name goes over Lukas's head, but the threat does not, he is an intelligent gopher after all, hence the reason he was sent on this job on the first place. The Decimo has something Vindice wants and is going to hold untold amount of lives hostage over it. Lukas gulps, was this what meetings between the top brass was like? Lukas is suddenly very glad he's just a little fish in a big pond, it's scary at the top.

On a side note, he's suddenly not so eager for a promotion anymore, who cares that he'd worked over time for three months straight, that just meant he was good at his job where he was.

For his part Decimo merely narrows his eyes dangerously,

"No."

Such a simple word, but it makes his heart stop,

"Then no to your request"

and Lukas wonders if he has time to call his loved ones and tell them… tell them what, get out of the planet, cause shits about to hit the fan in an unspecified amount of time?

"This is your job" Decimo tries to reason

"My job is to guard the Trissinette", Bermuda replies blandly

"A self-appointed job"

"And this isn't"

"…"

"…"

"…I don't wanna" Decimo…pouts?

"Neither do I"

"Can't you ask for something else", Decimo…whines? Seriously what is it that Vindice wants from Vongola?

"No"

"I'll be your best friend."

"No"

"I send you some expensive wine"

"No"

"… I'll bring you into the Famiglia", beside him he hears Iris choke, and Hand palms his face

"…Boss"

"That is what _you_ want Sawada-Vongole'" the Vindice boss deadpans

"…Can I take time to think about it?"

"…Boss"

"Take all the time you need, just don't take up mind" with a slam of his fist chains wreathed in black fire appear around them. Lukas hears screaming and looks to see Decimo and Hand still look relaxed, Iris has made a break for the door.

' _Oh, the screaming one is me'_

"FINE!" Decimo yells, and the chains stop, there's a 'thump' by the door and Lukas turns to see a shaken Iris being dropped by another Vindice Member he hadn't realized was in the room.

A quick glance behind him shows several more, and Lukas didn't know it was possible to feel this unsafe. Like waking up and going on about your day only to find your house has been transported half way off the edge of a cliff and realizing you could have killed yourself at any moment if you were a touch less careful.

Lukas swallows when Decimo looks resigned, and can't help but shudder in horror at what he's just traded the Vindice in exchan-

"I, Serafino Tsunayoshi Sawada-Vongole', swear as Vongola Decimo that you Bermuda von Veckenschtein, will no longer owe me a favor."

The Decimo pouts and Vindice merely leans back looking smug

"Bargain accepted"

' _What',_ Lukas thinks trading his fourth in as many minutes, 'Are-you-seeing-this-too-?' glances with Iris

' _WHAT!? ALL THAT FOR ONE MEASLY FAVOR!?_ '

' _ **Kufufufu, how much do you think a favor from**_ **them** _ **is worth, little one. Let alone several'**_ a soon forgotten voice in his head whispers

"Great," Decimo grouses, pouting furiously in what he must think is an intimidating manner, "Can you show us the original transcript detailing how the law came about?"

Bermuda raises his hand and a black flame appears, before he sticks his hand _through it_ , arm disappearing as he rifles through what looks like some pocket dimension from a sci-fi show-

Decimo turns at that exact moment and looks Lukas square in the eye, his own flashing neon orange,

' _ **Understood'**_ a voice from nowhere important whispers, and suddenly a pressure Lukas hadn't realized was in his head disappears leaving him feeling slightly light headed. Before he can even wrap his head around what happen there is a thud on Bermuda's desk as the man (?) slaps a heavy old looking document on it.

"The Gordian Accords"

"A knot unbreakable to all wisdom except by that of a giant blade, huh, ironic?"

It's only a second later when he sees Iris's 'What-the-hell-are-you-doing-idiot" look that he realizes he spoke out loud and flushes horribly at the sudden attention.

"Who are your pawns" Bermuda questions the Decimo

"Gophers actually," Lukas interrupts the most powerful man in the mafia, and can't for the life of him understand why he suddenly lacks his brain to mouth filter, "sent on behalf of the other two members of the **Three Great Skies** "

Lukas does not miss the very obvious step Iris takes away from him, Right hand mutters something about nervous talkers.

"He wasn't nervous, just scared as shit, completely sure of that- nothing to be nervous about that"

It's only when he sees Decimo's shoulders shaking and his lips twitching even as his eyes look so horribly sympathetic, that Lukas realizes that he's spoken out loud again. Thankfully the others in the room have apparently decided to ignore the mumblings of a suicidal idiot.

"Your still talking out loud suicidal idiot" Right Hand mumbles

"L-lets see what we got to work with here", Lukas appreciates Decimo's attempt to keep the meeting moving, even if he can hear his restrained laughter.

"Gordian Accords, to thou set for which sveet vords oove, ah hell it's written in Old Italian, Regulus can you read this?" he asks the now named Right Hand **Regulus**.

Regulus like the stars? Weren't Vongola Guardians supposed to be codenamed after food? He knew for a fact that Vongola Nono's Guardians were codenamed after French pastries. Their codenames used so often that their birth names became lost to time, Lukas didn't even know Decimo's name until today, let alone Vongola Nono's real name.

Then again Varia was Vongola and they were codenamed after demons depicting the seven deadly sins…then again they _were_ Varia after all.

"Of course Tenth" Regulus says and takes the document, several moments pass before he speaks up again, "The document was set forth by the Eastern Mage Associations of the Old World (here) and Vongola Segundo, Katerina Giglio Nero, and Demetri Gesso of the Mafia, presided over by Jaeger of Varia, Jun-Woo of Murim (that's the general society those who fight with Ki belong to) and Bresseli Shimon?"

"Shimon?" Decimo questioned curiously, "Weren't they in hiding for like two hundred years?"

"Hiding from _your_ Famiglia, Decimo, not the from the rest of the world" Bermuda answered

"Huh"

Huh indeed, The **Shimon Famiglia** had shaken the Mafia world to the core when they'd broke their way into the Vongola Inheritance Ceremony a few years back. A handful of teenagers making the most powerful names in the business eat dirt in front of all the other powerful names, huge. On top of that they'd reintroduced to the world **The Seven Flames of The Earth** , a power as strong as if not stronger than the common Seven Flames of the Sky that everyone had used since the dawn of Cosa Nostra. To this day Famiglias were killing themselves, literally in some cases, trying to figure out how to activate the rare power. The Shimon had been rising names ever since, especially since their boss was apparently best friend's with Vongola Decimo despite previous incident; the two having apparently bonded during the **Arcobaleno Wars**.

Arcobaleno Wars, the name sent shudders down anyone who heard them spine; it was rumored that the Vindice themselves had taken part in the 'War of the Best' and that Vongola Decimo had allied himself with them.

Well at least one part of that rumor could now be confirmed

"We were enemies during the battles" Decimo suddenly said, "We became allies after it ended."

At Lukas's blank look he continued, "Your still speaking out loud, anyone ever tell you, you have a gift for exposition" he continued kindly.

Lukas flushed, "Many times, its why I'm used as a gopher for things like this" and oh god would his brain to mouth filter please turn back on soon.

"Lukas Burton, was it" Decimo asked

"Yes sir", blinking when he nodded to his Right Hand who took out his phone 'it gets reception here?' and began typing, a second later the silverette nodded to his boss, who turned back to Lukas,

"I'll be sure to remember it" and Lukas felt his heart stutter, was, was he being noticed by top men?, "It's good to know who can keep their cool during meetings this big"

'Is he being sarcastic'

"I'm not, you're doing better than most would in your position"

'Did I say that out loud again'

"No you just have an easy to read face", Decimo grinned at the deadpan on Lukas's face, before turning back to the table, "Side note, why was Shimon even involved in the first place, I only have Shimon Decimo's recommendation by chance out of sheer preparedness? "

"It is the duty of **The Great Earth** , to act as a balance to the Three Great Skies that keep the Trissinette. A rational impartial judge, to you who are the lawmakers and we the punishers" Bermuda answered blithely

' _A Great Earth... huh, new terminology'_

"So, we just need the agreement of Eastern Mage associations (which we have), and the Three great skies (which we have)" he said with a point to himself and a wave to Lukas and Iris, "And a recommendation from Shimon Decimo, you, or a high ranking Murim-in, which I also have from the Shimon (taking out a letter with an inversed burgundy flame Lukas assumed was **Earth Flame** ), which I know you should be able to sense."

At this point Decimo was gritting his teeth, eyebrow twitching, "So we already had everything we needed for you to stop punishment for the law in the first place."

"Yes that seems correct" Bermuda smirked

"So you made me waste a favor for nothing" Decimo grit

"Not for nothing Sawada-Vongole', for ridiculous amounts of money and unnecessary bloodshed." Bermuda said lifting the documents as more black flame appeared.

Once again he was met by orange eyes of the Decimo, which didn't make any sen-

' _ **Safe'**_ said a returning pressure in his head.

"Money", Iris muttered to herself probably thinking it was quiet, but echoed in the still silent room.

"Of course" Bermuda said turning to her making her stiffen, "You don't think Vongola actually cares about saving lives do you? We're not insane, if the vast majority of Mafioso become aware of the magical world (which they will when it's exposed to the world) there will be no reason to uphold the law of separation, after a certain amount of favor (7/8ths to be precise) turns to blending the two cultures (for profit reasons mostly), the law will be dropped automatically."

"7/8ths" Lukas interjected, more to get attention off of Iris, they _were_ technically family, "that seems like a large number to change a law."

"We're criminals by nature Burton" Regulus deadpanned, "Obeying any kind of law defeats the purpose of being criminal, which is why they are so few. And why we take them so seriously" his eyes glanced to Bermuda before continuing, "It has to be especially heinous to make a the majority of a society of thieves and killers cringe."

' _Ah right, so wait_ , "Why are we here if the law will be overturned anyway?"

"Greed" Bermuda smirked

"I'm not greedy Bermuda, I actually… you know…give a damn about countless innocent lives" Decimo interrupted sternly

"But it was not you who brought up this idea to overturn the law was it, the people who did aren't as virtuous, their just out to make a profit"

"…You're awfully chatty today." Decimo mumbled

"It is my duty to educate the ignorant, so they don't unknowingly trespass on unwritten laws" Bermuda said hypocritically considering he had just threaten to lead an eventual massacre(though apparently temporary one) on others for exactly that reason.

"Bulg Shigt!" Decimo _sneezed_ , and if it sounded like two other words, Lukas wasn't going to call him out on it.

"Sorry I'm allergic to B.S., I think you got some floating in the air" said the only man in the world willing to snark at the Mafia's Boogeyman to his face.

"By removing the law early" Bermuda continued, apparently ignoring the disrespect, to Luka's relief (Decimo had Brass Cajones), "Vongola and Millefiore and Shimon are capable of controlling the flow of who has access to a whole new world, and whole new technologies, medicines, goods, and customers"

Ooooh, that made more sense that a bunch of altruistic Mafioso Famiglias joining together to save the world.

"Which we didn't even need to do at all apparently, since our compliance should have made it moot. You just dragged us up here to waste a favor of mine" Bermuda shrugged unrepentedly.

"…You have a creepy baby face"

"Get out of my prison"

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Relief, aching frigidly cold, beautiful relief flooded through him as soon as they slid their way down the mountain side, the hummer limo they'd taken up here just visible in the distance. He was alive, blessedly wholly alive.

He wasn't the only one feeling it; Now that the doom had passed, Iris had begun flirting uproariously with the two slightly younger men, praising them about how well Decimo had kept his cool, and how intelligent Regulus was to be able to translate Old Italian. Lukas rolled his eyes, neither the Decimo nor his right hand would be as susceptible as some socially awkward scientist that she usually practiced her skills on. If anything Regulus just looked annoyed and Decimo just seemed amused.

"I'm sorry Ms. Iris" Decimo said politely, but this time the presence of manners didn't make him seem younger, not after the meeting with the devil, but rather cultured. Lukas saw Iris let out a swoon, that may or may not have been genuine,

"But I don't think Regulus' girlfriend would appreciate either of us spending the weekend with you at the ski lodge near the airport. As is happens I have to be in another country entirely before the day is up, sooo…" he finished with a helpless shrug.

"Ah", Iris let out a surprised noise, but months of working with her as their families blended let him see just how irritated she really was, and Lukas stifled a smile.

' _Bitch'_

"Sorry" Decimo said cheerfully, which showed just how little he actually cared

"Oh no, I'm sorry, I completely forgot about…well you know" Iris responded with false empathy, and Lukas felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

' _No no no, they were so close to the car; please please please don't let Iris say anything vindictive that will get us stranded out here.'_

"I know what" Decimo asked curiously, but the smile on his face seemed a little strained

"Well y'know… the rumors about you two…or three, really… not that I'm against it! No no, it takes all kinds after all" Iris continued 'kindly'.

Both the Decimo and his right hand slowed to a stop, as did Lukas and Iris, looks of irritation and mild horror coming on their faces.

"We're not gay/we're not fuckin gay" they spoke in tandem

"Of course not," Iris said condescendingly, "Bisexual I believe is the term when there's a girl in the middle. Though I don't personally distinguish"

" **We're not gay/we're not fuckin gay** " they spoke again more stressed.

"Of course, of course" Iris shook her head in mock sympathy, "I'm sure all straight male friends fall asleep holding each other, kiss, say 'I love you', and spend every waking moment together"

"We were injured and exhausted when we fell asleep, I was drowning and he performed CPR, and he's my right hand where else would he be if not by my side?" Decimo retorted, though Lukas noted he didn't say anything about the declarations of love.

"Sure honey, sure", Iris said as she slid in the back of the car, ignoring both men's glower. Lukas slid in even quicker if only to put as much distance between himself and the two men who'd glared down **VINDICE** ; seriously was she so vindictive she forgot that?

"All I'm saying", Iris continued when they got in the back of the car "is-"

This was as far as she got before Regulus suddenly leaped forward to her turned head and gave a harsh chop to the back of her neck, knocking her out cold. A second later the sound of doors being locked was heard as the vehicle started moving, and both Decimo and Regulus turned to him.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god, they're going to kill me to keep their gay love hidden!" Lukas screamed in his head.

"Your speaking out loud again dumbass" Regulus rolled his eyes, even as Decimo face palmed, "Just let Mukuro in control idiot."

'Mukuro, who the hell was-'

" **Kufufufu, you certainly put the fear of God into this one Gokudera-kun"** a voice that was most assuredly _not_ Lukas's escaped from his mouth without permission.

"Are you okay, they didn't have any traps that hurt you or anything like that did they" Decimo asked concernedly.

" **Save your mother bear worrying for the children Tsunayoshi, I am the best, I don't set off traps",** Lukas noted from the reflection of the glass that one of his eyes had turned red with a strange symbol in them.

"Second best" Regulus snorted, "Did you get the info. or not, I'd hate for this trip to be a complete waste of Tsuna-sama's time."

" **Kufufufu, how impatient"** the voice thing laughed, by now Lukas was internally freaking out even if his body wasn't showing is, HE WAS BEING POSSESSED, HE DIDN'T EVEN THINK THAT WAS POSSIBLE. And if it was, by who, how, why. No scratch that he already knew who and how, Mukuro Rokudo, the only man known to have _ever_ escaped Vendicare prison, which meant the 'how' was through his specially mutated mist flames. But Why, and why were Decimo and Regulus so calmly chatting him up?

" **As it is I was able to find their records room when he pulled out the Gordian Accords",** suddenly puzzle pieces began to slide into place in Lukas' head _,_

 _Decimo looking at him, signaling him with orange eyes,_

 _The sudden pressure leaving his head, his sudden lack of control on his thoughts,_

 _The pressure returning when Bermuda put the documents back and Decimo's concerned look, before Lukas's face contorted to let him know he (_ _ **Mukuro**_ _) was safe._

"Good, hopefully we won't have to waste anymore favors finding records to old long forgotten deals." Decimo said, relieved.

"Then there's the wealth of untold information on the documents themselves" Regulus nodded, "the Gordian Accords alone tell the existence of magic, the hidden Shimon, and Murim. Who knows what else is out there; The Vindice are one of the oldest organizations in existence, after all."

" **I'll be sure to send Vongola HQ a copy of the info. as part of their cut for this operation."**

"Which we both know will be heavily edited" , Decimo said levelly, "I can't afford to have to track you down all the way around the world to look up some information Mukuro, please send an unedited copy to Kyoya instead"

" **That agoraphobic skylark?",** the voice to Lukas sounded almost disgusted, **"Why in the six levels of hell would I do that"**

"Because you can trust that he won't abuse the information or be strong armed out of it." Decimo replied evenly, "And because I won't heckle you for info. since Kyo is always in Japan to find easily."

" **Tch, what makes you'll think your precious little bloodthirsty Cloud Guardian will accept anything from me."** The voice, Mukuro, said annoyed

"Just give it to Kusakabe-kun and he'll get it to Kyo."

" **The one with the ridiculous pompadour?"**

"That's the one" ,Decimo beamed

" **Yeah sure whatever"** Mukuro grumbled using Lukas's lips

"And can you put Mr. Burton to sleep when you leave, he's had a stressful morning"

" **Kufufufu, you are too soft Tsunayoshi",** but Lukas felt the tendrils of 'Other' remove itself from his head, and his face hit rich crinkly leather the last thing he heard before the conversation was wiped from his mind forever was Decimo's heartfelt thank you.

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' _Now boarding flight 309 to Tokyo, Japan, Now boarding flight 309 to Tokyo, Japan.'_

"That's me", Tsuna said standing up from his seat in the small Scandinavian airport; for security reasons it was decided that Tsuna would fly commercially(first class of course), rather than take one of the family's more conspicuous private jets. There were people, government/rival Famiglias, that kept an eye on that sort of thing, and Vongola wanted all business dealing with this as hush hush as possible.

His birth or rather Japanese, since apparently his father had taken the liberty of making a second birth certificate for him in Italy the day he was born, name was kept strictly out of mafia affairs and so he was free to use it as he pleased without scrutiny from Interpol.

Beside him Hayato picked up his lone suit case, the rest would be sent over as needed at a later date, and walked with him to the gate. Upon arriving Tsuna paused and took one last look at his right hand _his other half so completely a part of him, thinking of him as a separate being at all felt wrong_ and gave him a curt gentlemen's nod.

"Regulus"

"Serafino" he nodded back, and there was a brief pause as they kept up their professional gentlemen shtick before Tsuna let out a genuine smile,

"Hayato"

"Tsuna", and without signal both of them pulled each other into a tight hug; not the hard slap on back man-hug, but a simple 'I-love-you-old-friend' hug. Screw the 'boys weren't supposed to show emotions and do that' crap; he was saying goodbye to his brother dammit.

' _Now boarding flight 309 to Tokyo'_

Pulling back, Tsuna smiled and grabbed his luggage.

 _Vongola Decimo was coming to Mahora_

 **A/N:** Aaaaaaaaand Done!

God I hate introductions, there's so much exposition that has to be covered. Granted as a fanfic, it's not typically expected to give a backstory for each character, and you can tell I slacked off a bit here. But I know I'm not the only one who has become interested by a new show or story from reading the fanfic version first.

Plus with crossovers you never know which side of the fandom your readers are coming from,


	3. Chapter 3 First Impressions

**Let it be said that I freaking hate Intros, I'm trying not to get you too used to unrealistic update times, but there so much set up that must be taken care of before we can get down to the Meat &Potatoes of the story.**

 **Until then this chapter is dedicated to AkiraYuni whose pleasant comments keep me going.**

 **Warning:** The following contains Hell of my least favorite things. **Exposition** and **Tedious Meetings**.

 **Disclaimer:** See chapter 1

 **Chapter 3 First Impressions**

' _Now exiting Shibuya Station, Now exiting Shibuya Station'_

' _This'_ , thought a little red and burgundy haired kid, ' _is a lot bigger than home'_

Even 40 minutes since he landed from his flight in the mammoth city, young Negi Springfield was still in awe at the sights the big city had to hold.

Sure, the crowding and the jostling and the strange looks he'd been getting from people were a bit overwhelming, but he supposed that may have been a bit his fault. He was still very new to Japanese customs, so he may not have followed the proper protocols with him stopping in the middle of the sidewalks to snap pictures like a tourist. The large wrapped staff on the back of his pack was no doubt an inconvenience as well.

He'd made sure to stop and apologize to everyone he thought he'd bothered with a proper bow; all the books said the Japanese were a people that valued manners and respect heavily, and Nekane (or rather Onee-chan), had told him to mind his manners and be respectful of his host country's culture.

Still the city itself was an incredible sight to the small-town boy, even now during the early morning, neon lights flashed brightly, colorful and clearly visible. Dozens of advertisements shown proudly, for things Negi honestly had no real idea to their function, but certainly looked amazing with their characters and animations. Some were even accompanied with music, though barely heard from inside the fast bullet train.

An actual bullet train, wasn't that a delight in and of itself? Not even away from home for a full twenty-four hours and he honestly couldn't wait to write about all this to Nekane and Anya.

At the thought of being so far away from home and why entered his head, Negi felt a small pang of premature homesickness, but he stifled it… he wasn't the same cry baby he used to be.

Negi looked down and clenched his fist; he'd come so far, worked so hard, pushed and pushed and pushed and now he had literally gone across the world in his journey. He was so _close_ now, he could feel it, practically taste it in the air; this time it was going to be different, all his searching would not be in vain, it was no longer just some far off someday, NO it was right here, right now.

' _Dad, I will find you I promise'_ thought the young boy clenching his fist harder as his mind became flooded with old memories.

 _A dark snowy night and despair and burning homes on the horizon_

 _A warm hand on his head and a masculine voice whispering_

'' _I'm sorry…I have no right… be happy… Negi''_

' _When I finally find you, we'll be happy together dad, just wait for me'_

"Pretty amazing sight isn't it" said a voice to his right startling him out of his thoughts, "Your first time in the big city?"

At the sound of the voice Negi turned and was met by the most peculiar young man.

Clearly in his late teens and a student judging from the large backpack at his feet; a young man with the oddest gravity defying hair sat in the seat adjacent to his own with a book open in his hand. A gaudy looking chain ring on his hand, a pair of scratched headphones on his neck, and a loosely worn fancy black suit with an orange unbuttoned dress shirt, all together he created quite the union of opposites.

Negi would have responded right away but he got caught on the color of the young man's eyes; a unique shade of orange that were currently burning into Negi's soul. For one weird moment he felt like the older boy had just seen what he was thinking, and Negi actually had to think to himself and wonder if he may have accidently said something out loud.

After a brief pause where Negi hadn't answered, the boy frowned slightly before asking in perfect English, **"Sorry, do you not speak Japanese, I was just asking how you were enjoying the sight"**

"Ah no, my apologies "Negi rushed to reassure the kind stranger, "I was just lost in thought, and yes this is my first time here."

The stranger gave a warm smile that reminded him much of Nekane's; the kind of smile that said that she was just happy he was present and alive and that his enthusiasm was all she needed. It made Negi instantly like him, well that and the fact that he was being such a studious student during the first day of the Japanese semester.

"Then welcome, and it's my apologies, I didn't mean to assume about your heritage with the English" the young man replied, proving Negi's books correct on how polite Japanese etiquette could be.

' _He's even apologizing for speaking to me in another language because he felt making an assumption about my person could be taken offensively.'_ Negi thought to himself with a smile before deciding to show off just a tad.

" **Oh no, you were perfectly correct** " smiling at the teen's raised eyebrow, **"your accent is very good, American?"** He asked curious.

" **New York specifically"** the teen said putting his book down all the way and focusing fully on Negi, **"My family does business there, and you where's your accent from, Britain?"**

" **Wales specifically"** Negi said copying the teen's way of answering, **"Very close to England though, the birthplace of the tongue as it were"**

" **Fascinating, so whatcha doing way out here for kid?"** , The teen said leaning back, Negi took note of the casual slang meaning that unlike Negi he'd most likely learned _his_ foreign language from outside a book, and taking an up and down look at his clothes **, "You look like your headed to a job interview followed by a business luncheon."**

Automatically Negi looked down at the green suit Nekane helped him pick out; he'd honestly forgotten he was wearing it. The suit made him look professional, Nekane had said, it was important to make a good first impression with future employers.

…That and the coolest guy Negi knew, Takamichi, also wore a suit so there were no arguments from Negi.

" **Ah, that's because I am"** Negi answered

" **Your headed to a business luncheon"** the teen raised an eyebrow and Negi laughed

" **No, no, I have an interview coming up."** Negi explained before pausing and wondering if he should tell the older boy what kind of interview, before deciding that he was enjoying having someone to talk to and that it would be an awfully long trip to sit in silence like the plane had been, **"I'm going to be an English teacher."**

"Ha!" the teenager barked, "Well we should probably have you switch back to Japanese; you'll need to get used to hearing it." The young man said doing just that before putting his hand to his chin, "Or we can switch back and forth **, and have us both get used to each other's languages.** " He finished with a questioning look to Negi to see if it was okay.

Happily, Negi nodded, pleased his explanation hadn't been doubted, he'd already had to rescue himself from airplane security, who were wary about letting someone so young go off on their own.

Besides even if both of their accents were flawless, Negi HAD only learned Japanese a mere three weeks ago, there were doubtlessly plenty of holes in his vocabulary.

Two hours later the train was pulling into Mahora city and Negi had made his first friend in the new country.

The older teenager, Negi had found, was a great conversationalist and seemed to have a little bit of experience in just about everything. Negi had badgered him about the Japanese culture and he in turn asked Negi about Wales, and the two of them compared the differences between living in small and big cities. This then turned to a conversation about the kind of people there were in the world, which all led up to the teen telling him about the long colorful list of friends he had made in his travels and the funny situations he'd gotten into with those friends.

As the train was pulling in the older teen picked up his long-forgotten book drawing Negi's attention to the fact that the title was in English, though the only words Negi could see were 'Wizard Of'.

Before Negi could make a comment the double doors of the train opened and Negi along with his new friend were unceremoniously forced out onto the sidewalk under the force of the morning rush

"Woah there little buddy" said Negi's taller friend as he wrapped an arm around him and lifted him, huge bag and all, out of the stampede of coffee deprived citizens.

"Ah thank you so much" Negi gushed with a proper Japanese bow, only to have a warm hand on his head stop him midway, and give his hair a friendly ruffle

"Don't worry about it **Professor** " said the teen using the English version of the word with a smile, Negi had a feeling it had become his new nickname, "But you're not in Kansas anymore, the people here won't hesitate to step all over you if you don't learn to stand your ground."

The older teens orange gaze bore into Negi's own as he said the words, and Negi couldn't help but feel he was trying to impart something important to him, but he was afraid it may have been lost on him.

Negi was a little preoccupied with the feeling of someone who wasn't his big sister ruffling his head like that. It should have felt strange, especially when you considered how strict the Japanese were supposed to be about personal space, but his new friend just gave off a comforting feeling that made Negi feel warm.

"Well, this is where we part ways for now, Professor" said the teen suddenly, glancing at something over his head, "it looks like you'll have to hurry if you want to catch the tram?"

Negi blinked and turned around, sure enough there was a gaggle of young women presumably the age of the girls he would be teaching heading for a smaller looking single cart train that would no doubt take them to the Girl's campus.

"Oh, you're right, well I guess I'll see you later…" Negi paused as something very important suddenly occurred to him, "um, I'm terribly sorry, but I forgot your name."

"You didn't forget, I was just waiting for you to ask." The teen replied looking unconcerned with the fact that he had been talking for two hours with a person who was a stranger in even the most basic of ways.

"Oh, my apologies" He said feeling terribly embarrassed, what would Nekane say about this lack of manners, actually what would she say to the fact that he had essentially been talking with strangers "my name is Negi Springfield and you are?"

The teen stared at him for just a moment before a genuine smile spread across his face, "Tsuna, Tsuna Sawada" he said grasping Negi's hand and bowing as they shook, Negi for the life of him couldn't remember if there was a significance to this specific greeting or if his new friend was trying to reach out to his more western upbringing, "It's nice to meet you Negi Springfield, I wish you the courage and resolve to complete that interview successfully."

"Thank you very much, and nice to meet you too Sawada-san" Negi replied honestly a little touched by the impromptu advice.

"Just Tsuna Professor, I'm not your student or your boss and we're friends. Now you should really hurry before they decide to give someone else the job."

"Ah yes!" Negi said turning and hurrying to the trolley before a thought once again stopped him in his tracks, "Wait how will we-"

"Sun Hill apartments on the University grounds, we'll celebrate the end of the first week of school together!" Tsuna shouted, apparently already guessing what he was going to say, "Now GO!"

With that Negi turned and took off just barely scraping into the yellow vehicle before it could take off; though honestly if Tsuna hadn't pointed it out to him in the first place he probably would have missed it anyway and would have really ended up having to run to his meeting.

Optimistic with his day beginning with such a great start he wouldn't even question how Tsuna knew where he was supposed to be going, until months later when he replayed their conversation in his head with a very different mindset.

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Tsuna watched the young Mage scamper off with a smile on his face, and patiently waited to see if the intelligent if still rather childish young man remembered that they had given no way to communicate with each other. When he inevitably did, Tsuna shouted the name of his new home for the year as well as insured a later time for them to meet up.

It was an easy thing to find out when the little **Magister Mage** in training would be arriving in Mahora and time his own arrival to match. It had been easier to spot a child in a suit with a backpack larger than himself and a very obvious **Mage Staff** at his side.

From there it had been Tsuna's personal mission to befriend the young Mage and secure a foothold in his life BEFORE he met the other Mage's, thus make a lasting impression on him as his first friend in a strange land so far from home.

As underhanded as it all sounded it was not nearly as deviously planned out as it seemed, especially considering there was no end game other than gaining the friendship of a talented young man. Other than already knowing the boy's name and general description, there conversation had been genuine and unscripted with Tsuna having nothing to work with than his own first-hand impressions.

The reasons he'd had to go through all of this were two-fold; one, Negi was one of the people who good or bad would have a major impact on the magical contingent of the world and Tsuna wanted to build a good relationship before he could be corrupted by prejudice.

As it was Tsuna could say he honestly liked the little professor, he was kind of like a less whiny more stiff version of his own little brother, and it caused Tsuna's protective Manly man (Momma Bear) instincts to rear as they saw an impressionable young lad (poor broken cub) so clearly on his own in the world in need of manly guidance (nurturing and…yeah strong male influence, huh).

Tsuna's all too keen eyes hadn't missed the flash of darkness that passed through his eyes as he reminisced about something that was obviously painful in his past, just as he'd seen it drowned out by the quick optimistic resolve.

' _Strong willed, optimist, and just a little bit broken'_ Tsuna thought to himself with a chuckle _'a few years from now he'd be beating them off with a stick',_ Tsuna would know.

Reason number two for his subterfuge was not so casually posted on the edge of the crowd with a sword on her hip, eyes quickly and efficiently scanning the station should he try and do exactly what he did and show up to the campus earlier than he said.

To Tsuna who had never encountered magic of any kind before, Negi was a wonderful opportunity to observe with careful focus and little threat of repercussions for a solid two hours to see if one could learn to _feel_ a person's magic. Had it been anybody else it wouldn't have been possible, it would have required weeks of a combination of abnormal animal like instinct with highly intelligent research gathered from the observed data.

Thankfully Tsuna had been born with a certain mutation unique to his blood line called Deus Ex Machina… or as his grandfather pronounced it **Hyper Intuition**.

' _It's a damn life HACKS and they know it',_ thinking of the one time he'd called it as such in front of his father and grandfather; both men had had a hissy fit and proceeded to spend an hour berating Tsuna about family legacies and noble traditions.

All to which Tsuna respectfully called B.S., V.H.I. was a cheat code worse than Peter Parker's Spidey sense and Kiyo Takamine's answer-talker ability combined and essentially allowed its users to excel in anything they put their mind to, at least in things like this.

A few hours observing Negi and the miniscule changes in the air around the boy compared to other people, especially around the staff, had given Tsuna a small inkling of when he was approaching something of magical capability.

The inkling would grow into something more like a magic sensor the more time he consciously spent around Magicals. As a result, Tsuna had felt it the moment they began approaching the massive invisible barrier that surrounded the school-city used to detect the entrance and exit of those with some measure of power.

Tsuna with bag in hand carefully made his way around to where the woman with the sword was still posted, and even made it a point to pass directly by her.

"Pardon me" he said politely and watched as she and everyone else made room for him without thought. A little immature true, but it promised to be funny later when she realized that she had politely stepped aside for the same 'criminal scum' she was looking out for.

' _Man, I love real life cheat codes'_ Tsuna thought considering his Deus Ex Machina number 2.

 **Dying Will Flames** , or just more commonly Flames, were a power that made little logical little sense at the best of times and made studying them an exercise in futility, but they did have the benefit of making anyone without Flames incapable of making proper defenses against their rather unique power.

Created with the energy of life itself, sparked by emotion, fueled and controlled by sheer will power, and limited only by the experience and imagination of the one wielding them; **Dying Will Flames** did not follow the usual rules and properties of energy/matter the way magic or Ki did.

Three stages: 1rst most common stage, **Internal Flames** are activated, and a person loses the mental and physical limits that categorizes them as human.

2nd stage which is for the practiced fighters, **Manifested Flames,** which are as they sound- pure firepower to be used.

3rd stage which is for the elites which was more of an extension of the 2nd stage involving tapping into the mysterious power of the individual flame. Each flame had a general 'property' that as long as you had the imagination and the control to fit an idea matching that property, then it could be done.

For example, **Cloud Flames** had the property called **Propagation** ; Tsuna knew masters who used cloud flames to do anything from extend and multiplying their weapons to expanding their body's muscles and increasing the number of brain cells in their head, as long as it fit the property of propagation it can be done by a skilled enough **Cloud**.

Tsuna who possessed **Sky Flames** had already reached close to his maximum potential in terms of purity and strength when he was just fourteen; he'd spent the last 4-5 years working on pure control.

 **Sky Flames** were the element whose property was **Harmony** , constantly pulling other elements to them in an effort to find balance, balance being the typical translation used when speaking about harmony. Typically, this made him almost impossible to ignore when walking into a room because everyone felt the unconscious pull of his flames on their senses.

What Tsuna was currently using was a different interpretation of **Harmony,** that instead of pulling others flames to him, Tsuna's flames were harmonizing to the very nature around him. To the senses of people around him, Tsuna's existence was registering as just another piece of nature to be ignored and walked around; of course anyone with a camera would pick him up and wonder how on earth they'd missed the fluffy haired suit wearing teen, but Tsuna was less on an infiltration mission and more trying to get one up on his host by giving himself a few hours to get familiar with the territory.

"Now then" Tsuna mused out loud to himself an hour and a half later at a café after he'd already dropped off his bag at his new apartment and freshened himself up after nearly **eighteen hours** straight of traveling. "Let's see what we got to work with here."

He started flipping open the **textbook** of information his grandfather had given him to study about the magical world, their politics, histories, as well as a couple of not common known secrets.

When he'd gotten the book two weeks ago he had skimmed the first two pages before shamelessly pawning the work off on his right hand Hayato while he drilled himself on the much smaller packet of things Konoemon _wanted_ him to know.

This was less cruel than it sounded when one took into account that one, his right hand was significantly more intelligent than him being a genius, and two, Hayato was known to be obsessed with anything occult or sci-fi.

Tsuna had had to bite his lip to keep from laughing when his delinquent looking hard ass **Storm** had had a geek out about the existence of a magical world like the closet dork he was. In the end Tsuna hadn't been able to resist squeezing his excited little **Storm Guard** ; the presence of the maid and the weeks of whispering and blushing had been worth it.

' _It's been too long, since I've seen my other half look at something with that childlike wonderment'_ Tsuna thought with a touch of melancholy, with the two of them buried by adult responsibilities they rarely had time to do anything just for fun anymore.

' _Presents, presents are now a top priority'_ he'd already planned on buying something, but it wasn't till just now sitting in a coffee shop in a new city with a book of magical secrets in his lap that he fully comprehended that he was in a whole new world.

The book in his hand had been helpfully color-coded by subject with hundreds of little post-it notes with additional cross reverenced info in the margins by his overachiever other half.

' _Magical texts for Hayato, particularly histories dealing with well-known conspiracies in the non-magical world'_ he thought lovingly gazing at the detailed notes written by an eager Hayato.

' _Exotic candies for the kids and clothes for the girls to go along with more personal gifts later'_ he thought turning to a page that looked like a Calvin Klein ad, with a picture of a man in glasses wearing a suit that he'd seen in Konoe's briefing packet and was apparently a big deal in the Mage World.

' _Maybe tickets to some sporting event or tourney for Takeshi'_ thinking about the baseball player upon coming upon a page with information about an old war hero with white hair and a scar across the bridge of his nose who used to be a gladiator, _'Though knowing Takeshi he'd probably prefer to be a participant more, Kyoya too now that I think of it, hmm… will put a tack in that and see if I can find a more material gift for now'_

Tiring of looking through the massive information packet he turned to a third and final folder his Advisor Reborn had set up for him in the weeks following his move.

 _ **Operation: Bedford Moon**_

 _ **Participant(s):**_ _Serafino Vongole (under name Tsunayoshi Sawada), Kevin Reese. Future agents will be added as needed._

 _ **Location:**_ _Mahora City, Tokyo, Japan_

 _ **Mission Primary Objective:**_ _Create long term business contracts between Cosa Nostra, The Vongola Famiglia, The Vongola Alliance, Seashell Corporation, CF Oil & Mining Corporation and The Kanto Magic Association, The Kansai Magic Association and AAA. Future deals will be added as needed._

 _ **Mission Notes:**_ _I shouldn't have to tell you this, but these are BUISNESS deals Dame-Tsuna, it's your job to make these things as heavily in the Vongola's favor as possible. Don't be afraid to cut out a particular organization on the magical side if you see an opportunity to make connections, their friendlier with each other than the Famiglia of Cosa Nostra, but not every Mage Association agrees with each other-use that._

 _ **Secondary Objective:**_ _Find information on and if possible create a backdoor to Mundus Magicus_

 _ **Mission Notes:**_ _Vongola information is vastly lacking on the entirety of the magical planet, it is of utmost pertinence we have information on the effect a separate planet has on the balance of the Trissinette; its power, its origins, the intent it has for Earth and its people._

 _ **Tertiary Objective:**_ _Explore information on a possibly damaged time stream_

 _ **Mission Notes:**_ _Nono's Intuition is screaming that something isn't right in the Vertical Axis. Yuni has a vision of fire. Trust your intuition and be cautious my Dame student._

 _ **Persons of Interest:**_ _Konoemon Konoe, Eishun Konoe, Takamichi T. Takahata, Evangeline A.K. McDowell, Ayaka Yukihiro…_

Tsuna ignored the cut throat information essentially telling him to spy on and bleed the magical world for all its worth (he may have been trying to change the blood-soaked history but as Nono had said, they weren't trying to create world peace after all, Vongola would always be sharks) and chose to focus on the tertiary mission goal.

Someone may be messing around with this world's time stream, to the point that his sadistic cold blooded chief advisor felt the need to warn him to be careful in an open expression of concern. The last time anything like that had happened…

 _Darkness, closed space, where was he, a coffin, why was he in a coffin_

" _The Tomaso Famiglia…Yamamato's dad…connected to us… dead"_

 _Mad violet eyes, an empty smile, flames, dirt under his skin, coughing blood, sacrifice, heartbreak,_ _ **Yuni**_

… nothing good had come from it; Tsuna was not eager to deal with another time travel experience.

Instead he leaned back and closed his eyes, stretching his awareness listening to the world around him as if his senses would pick up on the source of this mystery from inside the little coffee shop. He wasn't surprised when he could only hear busy city life and adults and children alike going on about their business.

All jokes aside V.H.I wasn't magic (ha!) and could only pick up on things that Tsuna himself had at least some vague information on. It worked like the world's most advanced computer picking up on information Tsuna's conscious mind didn't ( _or couldn't_ ) perceive, and cross referencing it with previous saved data that Tsuna had encountered previously. On top of that Tsuna had to consciously recognize the sensation his V.H.I was trying to warn him about in order for him to make use of it.

For instance, Tsuna who had little familiarity with magic wouldn't recognize his V.H.I trying to tell him that an advanced teleportation and attention awareness spell had been cast; rather he would hear a vague ringing sound in his ear letting him know his V.H.I was picking up on _something_ but not what that something was.

He had, however, had multiple experiences of having a weapon pointed at him; so when the slight clenching feeling hit his stomach a split second after he heard the ringing noise in his ear and a second after _that_ felt a sword come up to his neck from behind, Tsuna merely picked up his cup of expresso and sipped it disinterestedly.

"Ah, is there something I can help you with Ms. Bushido?" he asked politely, apparently, he'd lost track of his **Harmony Flames** while he was stretching his senses and the woman sensed his unusual energy spreading across the campus.

Ah there was the trade off, couldn't be incognito while using flames to search.

"You were to report immediately to the Dean's office upon your arrival to the academy." Said the cold tone of the swordswoman Tsuna had passed nearly two hours ago, no doubt unnerved at how he slipped by her and made it so deep into the school without her awareness.

"Yes that's correct" said Tsuna as he smoothly using his cup to push away the sword at his shoulder, the woman sheathed her blade but didn't take her hands off the handle, "but I've been on trains and planes all day, I was merely taking the time to get a drink and maybe go over some notes before the big meeting."

He finally turned and met the eyes of the young woman, who was scrutinizing him in return, her eyes no doubt taking in his rather fresh appearance and probably making her own condescending assumptions about the kind of person he was.

Tsuna for his part merely smiled apologetically, it was important that he made a good impression as a courteous professional young man, not weak, but definitely not a threat-it was a familiar role.

"You can have a drink after the meeting, I'll escort you, so you don't get _lost_ ", though the way she said lost meant it clear she didn't trust him not to go wondering off.

' _Burr is it cold in here or is that just her?_ ' thought Tsuna sincerely hoping he wouldn't have to go through this with everyone he met for the next year or so. _'Wasn't Cosa Nostra supposed to be a secret to their side too, who did what to get her this cool on our first meeting?'_

It couldn't have been him, Tsuna knew himself too well; he wasn't an intimidating individual when he wasn't actively trying to be and certainly when he was projecting not threat like how he was right now.

"Let me just clean up my area, Ms.…?" Tsuna gave a smile that said he was slightly taken off guard by her chilly attitude, though truly he wasn't.

Thankfully his documents weren't written in any known language outside of Tsuna's Inner Circle, given G-script was invented by a nerdy Hayato back in middle school, otherwise Tsuna wouldn't have studied them so brazenly in the open.

"Kuzunoha" came the one word reply as she gave a curt nod of her head of the direction she wanted Tsuna to walk in, apparently not trusting her back to him.

 _Sheesh_.

With that Tsuna 'stumbled' along, before catching his stride like a prideful teenager trying to make himself seem like a confident adult. The woman followed alongside and slightly behind him or was until Tsuna kept slowing down to make clear he didn't know where he was going.

"So, do you teach here Kuzunoha-san" Tsuna asked politely, because communication had to start somewhere, and it clearly wasn't going to be from her.

"Yes" she replied just as curtly as she did everything, though Tsuna noticed her picking up her pace to reach their destination sooner and avoid having to talk to him more than she needed to.

"Cool, what year?" Tsuna continued undeterred, like he didn't notice her attempts to brush him off, though to be fair Tsuna often had to pretend that he couldn't read people like an open book.

Blatantly calling her out on it would do nothing to help with the coming business, nor would it earn him any points gaining her trust. The best thing Tsuna could do was ignore it and be as mostly genuine as possible and not be put off by her attitude.

"Elementary" she answered stiffly obviously not appreciating Tsuna's efforts.

' _Those poor kids'_ Tsuna thought perhaps a tad uncharitably, she may have a hidden soft side he wasn't privy to, though he doubted it was that soft. Even so it gave him an in to blabber about unhindered for the rest of the walk as well as maybe lower some of those walls she had around him.

"Oh, that's cool; I have a little brother and sister about to enter their final year of elementary"

"Oh" Kuzunoha said blandly obviously uninterested

"Yeah Lambo's like a super genius and Dad wanted him with some private tutor, but I wanted him to have some normalcy around other kids his age you know? And he didn't want to be separated from our sister, I-pin, she's a smarty pants too, but she doesn't want to be away from Mama yet; didn't stop them from skipping two grades though."

Tsuna blathered on the rest of the walk with stories of Lambo, I pin, and Fuuta until it was clear the woman had mentally moved him over into something resembling nonthreat and maybe even an idiot if a possibly strong one; essentially, he acted like his father, ugh.

"So, the Dean's office is in the section _with middle school girls_?" Tsuna questioned deliberately being obnoxiously skeptical, even putting emphasis on how sketchy it all sounded; still very much playing the role of his father who'd mastered the harmless big muscled idiot act to a T.

"He has a granddaughter in middle school and it keeps him close to her." The swordswoman answered a tad too defensively to Tsuna's ears.

"Oh yeah, where was his office before she was in middle school"

Silence

"Mhmm"

Before Kuzunoha could respond the higher pitched voice of a young woman interrupted them,

"Kuzunoha-sensei!" both of them looked to see a young woman with long brown hair and a cheerful smile rollerblade her way over to them.

Tsuna felt a tiny tickle on his nose that he'd recently come to associate with someone who possessed magic after being in Negi and Kuzunoha's presence; though it felt a little sharper then when he'd met the woman beside him, as did Negi's come to think of it. Whether it was something special about young people's magic or Negi and Konoka just had more than her considering their high-quality bloodlines, he wouldn't know until he'd spent more time around Mages.

"Hello Ms. Konoe, I'm afraid I can't stop and talk I'm working right now" she said adjusting her glasses seriously, "Besides should you not be in class right now"

' _Oh, so this is the Dean's granddaughter'_ , Tsuna thought while also taking note that his escort hadn't stiffened up at the defenseless young lady being in his presence which meant his blabbering moron act had finally gotten her to consider him a nonthreat and forget about this morning's brief subterfuge.

' _Mostly'_ he added as he saw her hand had not left its relaxed grip on her sword.

"Hey, Kuzunoha-sensei, and I'm not ditching I'm working right now too" the girl answered giddily, before giving Tsuna a curious look, "Grandpa asked me if I could give a tour to one of the university student transferring in from abroad who didn't get to come to orientation"

"I see" Kuzunoha said slowly, like she wanted to say something more bitter but was being careful to hold her tongue against her boss, "Well he hasn't had the time to meet up with the Dean yet Ms. Konoe so I'm afraid your early."

Tsuna for his part was wondering what the older man was doing, sure he meant to get close to the class anyway, but unless the girl in front of him was a world class actor sent to spy and get intel on him (which Tsuna severely doubted since the old man _knew_ enough about V.G.I, to know you can't lie to it) he didn't see what putting her so close to him was supposed to accomplish.

"Oh, I know" she said, and Tsuna was really starting to dig how cheerful she was, "I just came to introduce myself"

"And get out of class a few minutes early no doubt" Tsuna said slyly, speaking for the first time, well aware of all the tricks and ticks from Middle and High School, back when school was a sentence and not a choice.

The girl merely smiled cheekily before doing a small spin to face him fully and introduced herself, "Konoka Konoe, it's nice to meet you "

Tsuna acting more out of habit that was literally beaten into him than conscious thought, grabbed her hand and bowed giving a light kiss to her knuckles, looking up from his position without letting go of her hand, he gave an as dazzling smile as possible and returned her greeting.

"Tsuna Sawada, a pleasure" seeing a chance to be let go from the scrutiny of the swordswoman, as well as give her the chance to finally escape from him, he turned to acknowledge Kuzunoha, "Will it be alright if Konoka escorts me the rest of the way, and you can get back to work Kuzunoha."

The woman stared at him with slightly wide eyes before giving him a slightly skeptical look that Tsuna honestly couldn't understand what he'd done to earn. He'd even broken his idiot character to give a young lady of high status a proper greeting instead of just waving like some foreign idiot. Though he did refer to her by first name only moments after meeting her, he was usually politer than that.

Kuzunoha continued to narrow her eyes at him before giving a searching look to Konoka and then seemed to measure the distance between them and the administrative building not forty feet away as if to see if he might make off with her school's princess in the time it took to walk there.

"You can take him straight there correct Ms. Konoe" the woman asked sternly, though oddly enough it seemed to be more directed at Konoka than it did Tsuna.

' _Odd'_ , Tsuna thought seeing some red fade from the girl's cheeks as she nodded embarrassedly, _'is she some kind of troublemaker, she didn't seem the sort, just a little mischievous, maybe that's it. If that's the case, it's not just me making Kuzunoha so stern… those poor elementary schoolers.'_

"Great" he said out loud looping an arm around the younger girl's shoulder and pulling her close to him in a very Iemitsu Sawada show of lack of personal space, "Then lead on Master Tour Giver"

To Tsuna's small surprise and enjoyment, she merely grinned up at him before taking his hand and skating forward, though there was the tiniest sheen of red on the back of her neck; apparently that getting lost along the way comment had dug closer to home than he'd thought.

A small part of him couldn't help noticing she had the aura necessary for one possessing **Sun Flames** , though he made sure to stomp down on his own **Sky Flames** natural inclination to pull her towards him, at least not until after he'd met with the Dean and gauged his temperament.

"So Tsuna-san, is this your first time in Japan, though you have a very Japanese sounding name, are your parents from here?" she asked as they pulled into the building, her skates thumping across carpet.

", I grew up in Japan, though I left and finished school in Italy."

Truth, he'd come to realize that attending school in a small town in Japan, running the Seashell Corporation, Mafia Tutoring with Reborn, physical training with the other Arcobaleno, and flying around the world to take care of various crisis was just not realistically possible. After middle school he officially attended a school for rich kids in Italy with busy lives and so made schedules that catered to their availability. He graduated a year early.

"Oh, then welcome back" she said

" Good to be back, though if you're wondering about my looks" he said vaguely gesturing to his unnatural colored eyes noticing the second look she took at his facial features, "Both of my parents are mixed, half Italian."

Also, true if vaguely misleading, even with his ancestor moving to Japan, they'd kept a strong connection to those who also had Italian blood.

Iemitsu was born from three generations of couplings of half Italians making him one by technicality, his mother however surprisingly enough just happened to have an Italian father.

Though his eyes were what made people question his nationality more than things like his skin and hair tone, which was what had most likely caught her attention; a pure Vongola trait and a result of mutations Flames sometimes had on the body.

"How cool" she said as they came upon a set of big double doors, before pouting and continuing, "All I have is pure Japanese all the way around."

Once more acting more on beaten in instinct on how to behave when around a young woman, especially a lady of some status, Tsuna broke happy idiot character and gently caressed a stray lock of hair and smiled.

"Then the Japanese have created a treasure", meaning it whole heartedly, Konoka was a beautiful girl, who'd grow to be lovely woman, especially with a smile like that.

Konoka blushed shyly before brushing away his hand with a pleased smile and Tsuna smiled back.

' _A woman no matter who she is, wants to be complimented Tsunayoshi, no matter what she may say otherwise or how she may react to said compliment.'_ His grandfather had once told him when Tsuna was still just an insecure little boy too afraid to tell the girl he liked how pretty she was to him, _'And every woman has something beautiful about them, you merely have to look for it; though having a little Intuition to help us along never hurt anyone, eh?'_

When the door opened to a huge office Tsuna was greeted to the sight of an elderly man with the biggest eyebrows he'd ever seen, one of which appeared to be twitching violently as it took in Tsuna and Konoka- wait, did he just hear him say gigolo genes?

' _Nah, couldn't be, nervousness is getting to me'_ Tsuna thought, he could still be such a Dame sometimes.

"Grandpa were here" Konoka announced for them both

"So, I can see that, Tsunayoshi Sawada, so you've arrived I see" the old man said with a stroke of his beard and a calculating gleam in his eye, "early even, one wonders what you've been wandering around doing all this time."

"Merely being captivated by my new home for the year Dean" Tsuna said back in the same coy, _'aren't we just a pair of harmless ducks'_ tone the Dean used, while reminding him that the campus would be his to roam for the next year anyway "this truly is a beautiful school, Headmaster Konoe."

"Ho ho, I can hardly take credit for the school; it's been here since before even _I_ was born, but I'm glad you enjoyed your first impression" the Dean chuckled still stroking his beard, though Tsuna had a feeling he was laughing more at his subtle brass than he was his age, Tsuna smile turned just a bit more genuine, "Now before we pull up your information, I have something very important to discuss with you."

The Dean sat forward with a serious look in his barely visible beneath the brows eyes, and Tsuna felt himself stand a touch straighter.

"What do you think of my granddaughter, would you be interested in marrying her, I'm sure your grandfather would approve wholeheartedly." The Dean said in full seriousness and not even a second later was wacked in the head full force with a metal mallet courtesy of his granddaughter.

"Oh Grandpa, you jokester" the girl said with an oblivious smile even as she beaned a man with enough strength to cave a full-grown man's skull; Tsuna had a feeling Reborn would approve, come to think of it Nono would to, the man was adamant about setting Tsuna up.

"It's quite the generous offer Dean Konoe" Tsuna replied, even if Tsuna had little interest in pursuing a romantic relationship of any kind any time soon, "but I don't think your granddaughter is quite ready to get married at this time, so we'll have to put a pin in that."

It wasn't the first time some powerful man had all but offered his daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece to him, and Tsuna had long since learned all the proper responses to turn down someone without sounding like he was the one turning them down and rather someone else was at fault for the failure of the union.

Unfortunately, Tsuna felt he may have missed the ball somewhat on that one, because The Dean's eyes had glowed with an unholy light and he caught Konoka blushing and fiddling with the mallet in her hands.

Belatedly it occurred to Tsuna given the slapstick nature of the offer, that perhaps maybe Konoemon offering his granddaughter's hand in marriage may have been more common than some power-hungry Mafioso trying to get into Vongola Decimo's favor and that his response may have created an unnecessary misunderstanding that simply saying 'NO' wouldn't have.

"A wise decision, we'll reconvene on that later", Tsuna knew the man meant it, "Konoka could you give us a few minutes alone, I have to bring up some of Sawada-kun's personal information before you begin your tour."

For a moment Tsuna saw a spark of something flash in the young lady's eyes, before it was buried in an oblivious smile.

' _That one'_ , Tsuna thought eyes trailing the girl to the door, _'is far more observant than she appears'_

As the door closed a momentary stillness passed through the room as neither occupant spoke into the sudden silence.

' _It's time to begin'_

Closing his eyes while still facing the door and taking a deep silent breath, Tsunayoshi Sawada went to sleep and Vongola Decimo awoke dark eyes now with the tiniest glowing embers, he turned to face the Head of the Kanto Magic Association.

"Vongola Decimo, Timoteo has spoken with me at length about you" President Konoe intoned, "He said nothing of your propensity to wander like a curious cat."

 _ **Challenge**_ _,_ Decimo's mind whispered _,_ _ **Subtle light, not angry**_

"Cosa Nostra is a dangerous place" Decimo smiled politely, ( _empty, lifeless_ ), "those who would do business with us must be more so. I'm just an overly cautious scaredy cat, Head Konoe"

"Perhaps you should find the courage to curb that behavior, young one, not all of my subordinates will be so understanding as Toko Kuzunoha" the Dean replied sternly

' _Don't wander into things you have no business wandering into boy, you are a guest'_

"I've always been a cautious individual Association Head, I'll try to be more respectful, but learned habits that've said my life are hard to break; I'd suggest you get used to me"

' _You invited a known prince of chaos into your home old man, what did you think would happen. Deal with the consequences cause I'm not changing'_

Konoemon glared, "That's hardly a good way to start new friendships; if this is to work I really don't need to worry about you digging around into this and that."

' _We have a deal, but how am I to know you won't stab me in the back boy'_

"Will you have no accountability", said harshly breaking the game of subtleties

Nose twitch, **Magic is Flaring** , V.H.I whispered and Decimo nearly, _nearly_ , tensed; no squeeze to the gut, **Malice faked**

Decimo remained silent unrepentant

' _He's testing me, testing my temperament'_ Vongola thought to himself, _'He says how can I trust, but he means how far can I push you, how important is this to you'_

"It is not my wish to upset anyone" Decimo stated with the same calm ( _empty_ )polite voice he'd had since the conversation had turned to this, and he met Konoemon's glare with his own emotionless one, "We can try not to step on each other's toes or we can glare and hinder each other every step of the way. But I can only be what I am, and you requested for someone of what I am because I am what you need. I will not change."

At Konoemon's tense look, Decimo let out an exhausted sigh and allowed some genuine emotion, genuine sadness, genuine Tsunayoshi Sawada to enter his voice, "I'm here to save people, **your** people" Decimo looked up and met the old Mage's eyes, "I'm sorry if you won't be able to trust me, but know that even if you don't, I'll still help them."

A long silence once more reined the room, a very long silence, and Decimo briefly wondered if he would have to return to Vongola Nono and begin handling this project from a different angle, perhaps with a different Association.

' _Kansai Association has deep issues with Kanto'_ he thought clinically, _'Even if the heads are related by marriage, perhaps the younger Konoe will be able to accept the cold fire of Decimo, along with the warmth of Tsuna and Serafino.'_

"You'll help but you'll do it your way is that what I'm to understand your saying Decimo?" the elder man said finally breaking the silence.

Clearing in the head, **Test Passed**

"That's correct" Decimo smiled his pointlessly polite smile

"Well I hardly see how that counts for the avoiding stepping on each other's toes option" he said with a lift of his massive brow.

"I'm not completely selfish Head Konoe, I'm sure we'll find appropriate compromises for certain things" Decimo answered reasonably.

"And wandering around my school?" white eyebrow still raised

"To a coffee shop, because your subordinates couldn't keep a proper eye out for someone light footed?" brown eyebrow mirroring it.

 _Proof it and I'll stop_

"Ho, ho, I guess that's that than, though I think it be best we not inform Toko of your description of her…and your planning on doing that anyway aren't you" Konoemon deadpanned

' _Of course, I am, the happy idiot mask she's already attributed to me would be completely in character to do that'_ Decimo thought, _'And it will be so much fun getting on her nerves and trolling her Reborn Style'_ , Tsuna Sawada added.

Decimo merely smiled

"Well then, let's get started with your project" the Dean sighed

Without the presence of a possible enemy in the room, Decimo calmly faded back into Tsuna/Serafino.

"Let's hear it" Tsuna smiled interestedly, "I know grandpa said it would take some time to get in touch with the appropriate authorities on both ends, but you had some groundwork you wanted to get started on?"

Konoemon blinked briefly but continued, reaching in his desk to pull out _Oh God please no_ yet _another_ folder for him to study.

"What I have in here are a basic list of goods; products of various natures the various Mage Associations are willing to begin trading as well as a list of things they know you have available that they want in return." He said sliding the folder to Tsuna who opened it and began scanning it right away.

"I believe that can mostly wait until you've had the chance to recover, settle in, and share with your people whom I'm sure have a similar list-oh you have it right here" The Dean exclaimed as Tsuna slid him a packet from his own bag.

"Do I have all your contact information for questions?" Tsuna asked not taking his eyes off the list of treasures the Magicals were willing to part with; he really needed to dive into this magical world as soon as possible so he could determine the worth of these things.

The project was a responsibility of Tsuna and his people, but it would be a herculean effort at the minimum and Hayato was already vetting people to start up an entire task force for this. Tsuna in turn would be providing vitally needed allies, numbers, information and values.

"Ah yes, it's in here" the Dean said slapping another soul crushingly large folder on top of the one he was studying, Tsuna thought the man was taking far too much enjoyment of that. "These are the papers that have everything you need to know as a student."

"…Thank you" Tsuna replied just a touch strained, opening to the page that had his classes; regardless of his mission Tsuna was still looking to increase his education ( _or at least that's what Reborn told him as he aimed a gun to his head_ ) and Mahora was a damned great school that was hell of difficult to get into if you weren't rich, a genius, or magically/Ki inclined.

"English Literature" Tsuna spoke aloud, questioning the odd class in between several business and political classes

"For your part time job earning college credit" he answered, referring to the Alpha class that Tsuna's grandfather wanted him making connections to.

Mahora may be a magic academy, but on average only one in fifteen was magically aware even if not especially battle ready.

2A ( _soon to be 3A_ ) was different; a part of a long-standing tradition of having one "Alpha" class for each grade that was made up of incredibly talented future leaders of the Mage world. Though 2A seemed to be made up of especially brilliant whiz kids if they had a " _AAA-class_ fighter _"_ as their previous homeroom teacher and Negi Springfield as their next one.

"Right, when do I start that?"

Dean Konoe reached behind his desk _once again_ to pull out _another something to read_.

Tsuna felt his soul leave his body for just a moment

"As soon as the next grading period is up, and Negi's been tested. You'll transfer in as the student teacher working for college credit." The Dean answered pleasantly

"…Got it" Tsuna groaned out, before turning his eyes to the small class register in his hands.

' _Funky hair'_ was Tsuna's first somewhat hypocritical thought, followed closely by _'cute'_

He had a feeling if Hana was here she would have raged about female architypes, the same way she used to rage about how he and his guardians were all a collection of male architypes.

' _Ultimate Uke my ass, I'm manly too damn it'_

He idly wondered if those with magical backgrounds had magic effect their genetics the same way those with powerful Flames or came from Flame powerful families did.

Tsuna's dark orange eyes, Xanxus' dark red, Hayato and his sister had silver and pinkish hair from his mother and their father respectively, who both came from long lines of **Storm Flame Users**. Bermuda's weird face and body had been born from ridiculously intense **Cloud Flames** he'd once had before they blackened. Finally, was Ryohei who was one of the few people in the world born with his **Sun** **Flames** permanently active; the strain on his infant body had turned his once orange brown hair pure white with shock.

"A final word if you will, Mr. Sawada"

"Tsuna" Tsuna couldn't help interrupt, "Where going to be working together for a while, the very least we can do is call each other by our first names."

"Very well, Tsunayoshi" and Tsuna manfully pouted at his full name, "I don't know too much about your ability to 'pull' people…" he trailed off meaningfully, and Tsuna nodded expecting where this was going.

"It's like a radio Konoe-san" Tsuna explained and saw the old man try to contain his interest, "I send out a signal, a signal that's me _Tsunayoshi Sawada_ , only people who are already tuned to that signal will pick up on it and be pulled, people that have character traits matching someone named _Tsunayoshi Sawada_ "

He was very careful to omit exactly what character traits someone who could match _Tsuna Sawada_ would be; asking someone what core traits their **Sky** valued was a deeply personal thing after all.

"I see, I've never had **Harmony** explained to me quite that way" Konoemon said stroking his beard, "That puts part of my mind at ease."

"It's not mind control sir", Tsuna guessed what the old man had been nervous about.

"Even so, I know you were sent here to make allies-"

"It's also involuntary" Tsuna cut him off knowing again what he was thinking, "but I'll try to keep it from pulling Konoka or Negi, though I doubt I'll be able to pull in Negi"

"…right", Konoemon replied face becoming more deadpan, "Why-"

"He's a **Sky** sir" Tsuna cut him off once again, barely keeping the smile off his face. It was a small revenge for assigning him so much reading homework, Konoemon was now officially on 'The List'.

"Not **Active** , not trained, but the aura is there-I saw him sneeze off that girl's skirt in the quad" when he saw Konoe about to open his mouth and most likely how he met Negi. This skirt sneeze was true, but he'd rather avoid letting the older man realize exactly how close he gotten to his prized staff member just yet, "If it's anyone you should be worried about its him".

"Young mysterious newcomer, reasonably handsome, and determined" Tsuna ticked off Negi's traits, "put him around hormonal young people at an age where they're looking for adventure ( _oh let's say 14_ ), people that are all fiercely independent, and at least _touched_ by the supernatural and he'll start attracting his elements like moths to a flame."

Tsuna dictated slowly and obviously tapping the class registers in his hands as he pretended not to see Konoemon grow paler and paler.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they would be willing to walk through fire for him by the time the year's up, and hell if they're the opposite gender they may even develop an attraction to him at that hormonally unbalanced age." Tsuna continued twisting the knife, "But where would he even find a bunch of whiz kids like tha- oh"

"I-I think I might want to keep that bit of info, to myself."

Tsuna had a feeling the Dean meant he should keep that information from someone else specifically

"It couldn't hurt" he agreed, "Before I go I should clarify, Konoka has no idea about this whole merging of the worlds thing, right?"

Konoemon looked a little startled but before he could answer Tsuna continued on, "Oh, she doesn't know about the magical world at all does she? You want me to keep that secr-Ah, her parents do but you don't, so don't expose it but it's not a major loss if I do, right?"

"…"

"Yes, you can answer, and no I'm not reading your mind."

"…"

"Yes V.H.I. is a damned life hacks, I take it I should get to Konoka before she turns to stone out there ne?"

"…"

"Okay, I'll call you later Konoemon" as Tsuna got up to close the door he heard the old man mutter 'cheeky brat'. Ah the little vengeances, they got you through the day.

When he made it out into the hallway he smiled at the waiting princess,

"You ready to go?"

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' _Mercenary'_ Setsuna Sakurazaki thought as she slashed her bokken down with a precision born from years of dedicated training, _'Or some other form of hired killer'._

It was the most Setsuna had been able to gleam from the small amount of information her sword trainer had been able to impart to her during their conversation three weeks ago.

Toko-sensei had shown up to their usual training session one afternoon nearly a month ago fuming; after telling Setsuna it would be in her best interest to complete her own training at a significant distance from her and proceeding to tear apart their training area, the older woman sat her down for a talk.

Their practice matches would be intensified for the foreseeable future as an _important_ (Toko-sensei had seemed to be at odds with that particularly stressed word) individual would be attending Mahora at the start of the new semester.

This person would be involved in one of the Dean's "pet projects", as she called it. What that project was would be classified for the foreseeable future, as was information about Mahora's newest resident, but it didn't take a genius to pick up on the fact that her sensei was less than pleased.

The visitors name was Tsunayoshi Sawada, she had made sure to burn the name into her memory, and he would be arriving to the campus sometime today; a bit more wheedling into her Sensei's mood revealed that the man was apparently _very_ dangerous and involved with some not so legal business in a foreign country.

Setsuna was honestly shocked that someone like The Dean would willingly allow such a person on to the campus where his granddaughter attended school and that was when Toko had dropped the bomb on her head.

Not only would he be in the vicinity of The Dean's granddaughter, _her Ojou-sama that she had vowed to look after and had protected with her life every single day for over half a dozen years now_ , but he would be in stationed in their classroom as an instructor, literally in grabbing distance of her and all the friends she and Ojou had made over the years.

' _Has the Dean lost his mind!'_ Setsuna thought to herself as she slashed her frustrations out on invisible opponents, which may or may not have started to resemble the elderly man, _'Had he forgotten_ _ **why**_ _Konoka-Ojousama had been sent to Mahora in the first place! Did he truly expect a mere business arrangement to protect her from the greed of those who would use her for the power that slept deep inside!'_

Though she would never dare say such a thing out loud about the wise old leader, especially when a look must have made its way to her face the first time she was giving this information, because Toko had quickly reminded her that they would **NOT** do anything to defy or get in the way of The Dean's (and more importantly their The Magic Association Head's) plan.

Though the warning was sharp, there had been bitterness to the older women's voice that made Setsuna think she had tried to do exactly that and had been appropriately scolded for it.

Even still, Setsuna and several other magically aware students mainly from the high school and University divisions where Gandofini-sensei and Akashi-Sensei taught respectively, would be made aware of his general presence and be asked to keep an eye on him.

The only reason Setsuna as a middle schooler was being told despite her age was because of the fact that he would be interacting with her class specifically and Toko had vouched for Setsuna her on behalf.

Thus, their training schedule had been increased and Toko pushed Setsuna farther than she ever had. The rare _**Shinmei-Ryu style**_ , like all fighting styles really, was not something that could essentially be quote unquote "mastered"; techniques could be, evidence by her finishing the _Zanganken-Ni-no-Tachi_ (stone cutting sword, Second Strike).

As it was however, sword fighting was an art form; there was _always_ room for improvement, and Setsuna was doing the best she could to get the maximum improvement in as minimum amount of time possible, hence her current frustration venting exercises.

"Don't start a fight Setsuna, HA!"

The dust around the teen bodyguard began to pick up with each swirl and slash of the wooden practice sword.

"He's not one of Konoka's, HA! unwanted suitors that you can, HA! scare away when you think no one's looking, HA! HA!, HA!

An actual mini wind tornado began to form around the girl as the intensity of her strikes increased.

"He's a guest and we HA! need to show him HA! The ut-HA-most HA RESPECT, HAA!"

She finished off with one final slash and a gust of wind slammed against a tree several yards away with a muted 'whoof' sound, even chipping tiny pieces of bark off the trunk.

Setsuna stood alone in the clearing panting before she looked up at the position of the sun and decided that her impromptu training session was running long, stowed away the practice bokken in a nearby baseball bag. She usually carried it around school on her hip since carrying real blades around in broad daylight was too conspicuous, and it was modified to be heavier and more damaging than the average stick of wood. Though recently she had taken to carrying around her real sword, ( _Yuunagi_ ), in the same baseball bat bag as well in preparation for the HONORED GUEST'S arrival.

Setsuna tossed the bag over her shoulder and began heading to her next class, Ojou had a separate Art class going on right now, that Setsuna wouldn't have to worry about her for the time be-

Right there across the quad was Konoka-Ojou, laughing and skating on her merry way. That was hardly unusual in and of itself, what was unusual was the older suit wearing teen male walking beside her with their arms looped like he was escorting her to the theatre.

 _'Omiai'_ , she thought considering the immaculate suit.

Setsuna's eyes narrowed protectively at the male, but unlike Ojou's usual Omiai, she didn't appear to be trying to actively get away from him, and her smile wasn't strained, and he was significantly closer in age to her than the others.

It also wasn't a weekend and the Dean hadn't informed her that Konoka-Ojou, would be with an unknown male for this time; she hadn't even changed out of her school clothes. Heavily suspicious, Setsuna made to go 'observe' this unknown male when a voice broke her concentration.

"Setsuna-kun"

The disguised yokai turned to the sound of her name to see Takahata-sensei, watching her from a few feet away.

"Sensei", she nodded politely keeping her eye on the progress of the young couple

"Why don't you come with me, the Dean wants to have a quick word with you." Takahata-sensei "asked" her.

Frowning she turned her head back to where her Ojou was currently making her way off into the distance with a complete stranger.

"Konoka will keep; our young guest will keep an eye out on her" Takahata spoke, his eyes flickering to the pair in the distance.

With no small amount of reluctance, she nodded and followed the teacher back to the administrative office, but not before subtly sending off a paper spirit to keep an eye on things in her absence. For some reason the word guest had sent an alarm bell in her head, and she had a feeling she wasn't going to like this meeting.

She was correct

"I'm sorry Headmaster-sama, I'm not sure I understood you" Setsuna bit out, barely able to keep her seething inside, though she had a feeling the elder man wasn't buying it.

"I've asked Konoka to escort a Tsunayoshi Sawada, your future student-teacher, around the campus –city for the next few days. I intend to nurture a friendship between the two for future business purposes" The old man responded evenly watching her with a calculating look, "I had wanted you not to worry or become too suspicious of the young man suddenly hanging around my granddaughter, but it seems given your reaction to his mere name, someone's already divulged classified information to you"

At the Dean's serious tone, she reigned in her own disbelief to protect her sword trainer, "I only know of his name and a vague idea of what his profession is, Headmaster-sama. No sensitive information was passed along to me."

"Sensitive enough, apparently if you're already chomping at the bit to go hunt him down" the Dean said in a displeased tone.

"Headmaster-sama" she said trying to regain her usual cool disposition but was somewhat struggling with the thought of some dangerous individual so close to her Ojou without chaperone, or just close to her at all.

"No excuses" the Dean said with a raised hand, "I need you to be open and thoughtful Setsuna. To make decisions based on critical thought. This is more important than you realize, and a lot of good people are counting on these initial business ventures going smoothly"

The man's eyes then turned mischievous, "Who knows, maybe if we leave them alone enough they'll get up to a little 'something something' and we can get a shotgun wedding out of this; No Omiai necessary!" the acclaimed head of the Kanto Magic Association cheered.

Setsuna could only stare in disbelief and wonder when the world had gone mad.

"Headmaster, with all due respect I urge you to reconsider" she cried

"I shall not" came his prompt response, "I have considered this at length for many weeks now. If you cannot give him your respects, then at least use that big brain I know you have and refrain from any thoughtless actions based on pride."

The old man's once more took a serious tone, "This is not a request but an order Setsuna"

Burying her outrage and hurt pride, Setsuna gave a courteous bow; loyal samurai to a respected lord not her own, and swiftly turned and made her way out the door.

She didn't slam it, but oh how she wished she could

' _I will protect the Ojou'_ Setsuna thought furiously bounding down the hallway _, 'I will not fail again because of mere orders, this I swear'_

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"Is that going to be a problem" Takamichi asked as the prideful little bodyguard not quite slammed the door

"You tell me, you've been looking after them for nearly a year and a half now" his boss asked back, and Takamichi thought back to his long early morning lessons, mentally flipping through the faces to the little sword girl Eishun had discipled.

' _Ku-Fei falling asleep, princess staring ahead trying to focus but clearly not understanding, Chao not even trying to pay attention because she already knew everything, -Ah yes, Sakurazaki apathetic face but focused eyes refusing to stay locked into place, shifting to the doors and exits and thrice as much at-'_

"Likely" Takamichi answered honestly, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it as he spoke "but from what I've seen of the meeting he's a good kid with a good heart and so is she, enough time around each other and they'll come to see that"

"Smoking already Takamichi?" the Dean rose an eyebrow to him, and Takamichi merely smiled.

"It loosens up the old hinges" he replied, making a show of stretching his joints, "Besides with Negi taking a class, it frees up time for me to do my other job, I need to be as loosened up as possible"

His other job was not as rewarding as teaching young people some life skills and helping them grow as people. It was dark, mostly depressing work, which required a cold mind and a colder heart.

"You say our young ambassador has a good heart?" the old dean looked at him questioningly, not disagreeing but wanting his opinion.

"As soon as you stopped challenging him he backed off." Takamichi shrugged, he'd honestly been expecting someone a little more cut throat and ruthless. "His grandfather was more intimidating"

He said it jokingly, but it was true, the old don had a laid-back attitude during most of their meeting, but there had never been a time when those amber eyes didn't look like they were in complete and utter control of everything that went on around him. The threat and the end of the meeting as well; Takamichi had been around the most powerful people both worlds had to offer since he was a boy, but that threat, something in the way the words echoed in his mind and out loud at the same time was nerve wracking.

Konoemon had said something about The Dying Will Flames being able to touch a person's very soul; Takamichi believed him.

The youth sitting here had been a similar but whole heartedly different beast all together. Not fangless, and the smile he'd had on during the beginning,

' _It seemed so genuine'_ Takamichi thought even as he professed himself a dangerous untrustworthy thing variable that they could either take or leave, _'that's probably what made it so unnerving, even more so then a physical threat, it's not natural to be able smile like that'_

Which made Takamichi wonder if there was some kind of split in the boy's mind, to switch between the two personas so seamlessly, because Takamichi was one of the best at reading people, and that young man had not been putting up an act as he rushed to greet Konoka or wailed over the huge amount of paperwork Dean Konoe had dumped on him.

This struck a little too close for Takamichi as he thought about his own youth

' _He's not a child that needs your guidance Takamichi Takahata,'_ he scolded himself, _'you're not Gateau and he's not a young you'_

Even so he heard himself open his mouth "I'll keep an eye out for him"

"I thought you said he's a good kid" the Dean said stroking his beard

"So are the kids who shoplift in town to put food on the table" Takamichi answered back wryly, though that hadn't been in the way he meant to keep an eye on him.

"Very well, if you want the extra work" the Dean nodded approvingly, "Perhaps it will give young Sakurazaki some peace. I'm glad I can count on you on a good man like you, Takamichi."

 _Erase…Memories…don't die…_

" _What do we do now Takamichi?"_

" _We be happy, princess, we be happy"_

' _A good man huh'_ Takamichi thought saying nothing, _'I really wish I could believe that Headmaster, but I'm just a toy soldier'_

 **A/N:** Aaaand Done!, man that was wordy, believe it or not the Tsuna/Konoe meeting was meant to be longer before I shortened it to try to find a more natural place to put the word vomit later in the story.

 **Negi:** It's surprisingly difficult to write someone that's a genius, yet childish; innocent, yet jaded, optimistic, yet has a dangerous affinity for the dark. My apologies if I didn't pull him off as well as you hoped

 **Tsuna:** He is not completely oblivious to effect he has on women, nor inexperienced. He's partly just plain not looking for romantic attachments which will be mentioned later. And Konoka is not automatically in wuv with him for complimenting her, this is not that kind of story, but if you want romance…well we'll get there.

 **References** : For those of you who caught all the previously hinted **Wizard of Oz** References, Kudos to you; find the not so hidden **H.G. Wells** Reference and I'll dedicate the next chapter to you.

 **Until next time, J.T. Tales signing out.**


	4. Chapter 4 Networking

**Welcome** **back to the next chapter of Mahou Mafia Tutor, so many new followers I love it. Please remember to leave comments, their why I do this… yes, I'm shallow.**

 **Still no catches on the H.G. Wells thing from last chapter, which is disappointing because I thought I was being all deep and metaphorical about it; one more hint it can be found in the file Reborn made for Tsuna.**

 **WARNING:** A little disappointed by this chapter's flow, but I decided it was never going to be perfect, so I might as well leave it to you guys to judge.

 **Disclaimer:** See chapter 1

 **Chapter 4 Networking**

"This place… this is a school right, I haven't just been scammed out of a bunch of tuition money and this is really just a city populated entirely with teenagers?" said the dazed voice of her companion

Konoka couldn't help but giggle; that was the typical reaction to how large Mahora Academy was; given it had restaurants that they were passing, trains, residential area, and so much more.

"Nope, this is definitely a normal school" she chirped back ignoring his sarcasm and incredulous look at her statement, "Though this is the only school I've ever been to, so I don't know how it compares to others."

"Well the food selections have just a bit more variety than I'm used to" he said with thick sarcasm as they passed a stand selling fresh hot Takoyaki.

She widened her eyes to the picture of innocence, and shifted expression to one of simple curiosity before asking in a naïve voice,

"They do? What kind of hot food stands did your school have Tsuna-kun?" she asked

Tsuna for his part merely glanced at her with amused burnt orange eyes, saying he saw straight through her "innocent" question before answering in a straight dead pan, "The kind that you have to wish for with all your heart to be able to see." and Konoka giggled again.

Talking to Tsuna-kun was fun; he wasn't the first person her grandfather had had escort around the school, nor was he the first boy that the old man had tried to "subtlety" set her up with by making her spend time with him.

Though she could admit that Tsuna was rapidly making his way up to the one she was enjoying spending the most time with. It was clear that he was actually interested in both the school as he continuously asked questions about the history of this and that, not just asking to seem interested, as he would usually respond with a funny or intelligent fact about a similar this or that he'd seen elsewhere mainly in Italy.

When he asked questions about herself, he never once mentioned her grandfather or father's businesses, what she thought about his businesses, where she saw herself in relation to any of the previous three in the next few years.

Rather he seemed more interested in her choice to wear skates on school grounds ( _"I never learned to skate myself, was too uncoordinated as a kid when everyone else learned"_ ); which class it was she had decided to ditch to give him this tour ( _Art, ugh, it was fun but she had no talent for it and she'd rather be out and about then sit in a freezing cold room_ ), and her hobbies of fortune telling and astronomy( _"Really, you think you can tell me the stories of a few constellations, I've been looking for something to represent a bull head I know without using the unoriginal Taurus")._

He certainly didn't bore her with flattery about 'great beauty that took his breath away blah blah blah'; his compliments were always genuine.

' _And kind of charming'_ she thought with the slightest flush remembering warm lips on the back of her hand and running through her hair.

' _Not that I'm actually going to take his ridiculous proposal to wait for my compliance about marriage seriously'_ she thought unconsciously twirling the piece of hair that he'd stroked earlier, with the hand he'd kissed, _'he was probably just being polite about turning Grandpa's weird offering down, I know I have trouble turning down men who offer themselves to me so forwardly.'_

"You alright there Princepessa" Tsuna's voice interrupted her thoughts and she flushed out of embarrassment hoping he couldn't tell what she was thinking about. She wouldn't put it past those burning orange eyes.

"I'm fine Tsuna-kun" she said with a bright smile hoping to move past her brief mental slip, "Princepessa?" she questioned genuinely curious this time.

"Princess" he said with a straight face, still staring deeply in her eyes obviously trying to figure out the cause of her momentary daze, she hoped he wouldn't, "Lady, Hime, something to that affect"

"Italian right, you said you transferred from some big Italian school" she asked letting out an inward sigh of relieve, she was starting a pretty good friendship, no need to make it anymore awkward than it had been at the start. "Is that why you've come so late in the year; was there something wrong with your files?"

Once again Tsuna looked at her with an amused glint in his eyes that said, 'I know what you're up to', she just made her face as innocently uncomprehending as possible.

"You mean what mysterious thing did your grandfather send you out of the room for when he looked up my information and why am I carrying a filing cabinet's worth of paperwork now?" he asked not looking at her as he blatantly called her out for prying.

Which was also another reason why Tsuna was currently beating Rikuo Ryouta the previous most interesting guest as her number one companion forced on her by her grandfather, more than just his ability to be silly and go along with her mischievousness? Tsuna was observant, scary observant, and she could tell he picked up on most of her hidden feelings within moments of meeting her and had tailored their interactions to make her more comfortable.

"Well if you're just going to come out and say it" she said with a teasing grin as he snorted, which made her smile harder; she was really liking just how accepting Tsuna was about her, weird prying mischievous personality and all.

"He's a business partner with my grandpa, the two of them are working on some big to do project so I'll be here representing my family's company while attending school and building _relations_ " he said with a deliberate look at her, and she willed herself not to blush though she knew he hadn't meant it that way, "with the locals. You'll probably be seeing groups of people dressed like me appearing throughout the year randomly."

"Ah, and here I thought you were interviewing for a job followed by a business luncheon" she said mock seriously, she had a feeling he'd left something out of his explanation, but it was still their first day knowing each other.

To her surprise Tsuna _burst_ out laughing as if it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard.

"S-sorry" he said wiping his eye, "I said the same thing to somebody else earlier is all"

"Oh, who was that" she asked curiously

"Just a kid in a suit I met on the train" he waved away, and Konoka was immediately hit with the image of a certain little red head tripping his way head first into her morning English class.

Grinning she decided to keep this to herself until a situation for maximum comedy could come about, most likely pushing Asuna's fragile temper.

"So what kind of business project is it then?" she asked instead

"If you were supposed to know your grandfather wouldn't have shooed you out" he answered in a sly voice to her innocent one.

' _Rats foiled again, he really will be a challenge'_

"Boo" she pouted, "I'm going to find out either way when giant construction machines roll up on the campus."

"It's not construction related, but nice try on the reverse psychology to get me to slip up" he answered blithely making her pout for real.

There was a moment of silence as they simply walked and enjoyed each other's company, Tsuna looped their arms around each other again and pulled them along in a swinging fashion, she felt oddly comfortable around this virtual stranger who somehow understood her in a matter of seconds. She wandered if this was what people called an instant connection.

After the brief silence she spoke up again

"Can you at least tell me if my father involved in this project" she asked quietly

"… You mean is this one of those mysterious businesses that everybody whispers about around you, but that you're not allowed to know." he said back just as lowly

She didn't even know why she felt that flicker of surprise anymore as she looked up into knowing sympathetic burning eyes.

She wasn't stupid; she was aware of how vague her father was about his work, she saw the often-strange foreign people that met with an ordinary school Dean so regularly, she remembered the strange impossibilities that happened around the home in her childhood days.

She nodded, not sure she could speak, this was the first time anyone came out so bluntly and gave voice to the niggling she felt in the back of her head of something isn't right, not even Se-chan had told her when they still talked. If anything, the girl's inability to lie made it so clear something was up with that horrible flustered face.

"Then that case, yes it does" he answered, and she felt a rush of breath escape her, well that was it, proof straight from the horse's mouth, "I won't tell you what it is"

"It's fine, I didn't think you would" she answered smiling, so he would know she really wasn't upset.

She wasn't, if anything she was just so relieved to have some type of confirmation to the silent plague of questions that bothered her for most of her life, so casually given away by this stranger she'd not known but a few hours but felt she'd known her life.

"You were right though, you're older and wiser and most importantly not stupid." he assured her "You'll find out what's going on anyway when the 'construction' starts anyway, … and it's not my job to make sure you don't."

She heard what he was not saying, she was free to find out what was going on on her own, and he wouldn't stop her.

Feeling incredibly free and affectionate she gave him a tight hug before smiling up at him,

"Thank You", he merely looked down at her amused, orange eyes smiling as he wrapped his arms around her in return and leaned his chin on her head.

"You're quite welcome Princepessa" he replied in a warm tone

She closed her eyes and simply enjoyed the comfort for a moment more, though she did remind herself to let go of him before he could misunderstand when she felt him tense up for a second.

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' _Well'_ Tsuna thought to himself as he made his way to his apartment in the low evening night, _'this is certainly not confidence building'_

Tsuna's entirely too long and getting longer by the second day had gone relatively swell; he'd made some decent track work with Konoka. Thankfully though **Sky Flames** were notoriously greedy for amazing independent people like her, she didn't match his "frequency", so he could control his ability to "pull" her to him.

He'd secured a solid foot hold with the young fledgling **Sky** Negi Springfield, _'Come to think of it that shining optimism with just a touch of a hidden dark matched quite well with Konoka, maybe I should navigate the two together?'_

Food for thought

He got his paperwork that he needed to fax over to Hayato and the others making it, so they could hit the ground running with this little project, the Dean was even giving him a few weeks to "get settled in" and thus make more connections as needed.

Now all he had to do was contend with his little stalker.

He'd first felt eyes on him when he left the Dean's office with Konoka at his side, though he hadn't felt too offended, he had basically just said he was going to be snooping around and he was with the Dean's flesh and blood. He'd honestly feel a little worried if he _hadn't_ felt anything, then he'd be paranoid of what devices could be monitoring him without his knowledge.

' _I need to research Magical forms of security'_ his intuition needed data to be able to cross reverence the vague "feelings" he got when it picked up on something.

His ease at the situation had lessened significantly when Konoka decided to hug him ( _warm, soft, innocent, bre-NOPE_ ) and he felt a sudden killing intent directed at him. Konoka had felt him tense up and had moved back from him apologizing for something or other, he'd missed it focusing more on the drop of killing intent when she'd separated from him.

For the rest of the evening he'd experimented with his distance between him and the young woman still performing some Iemitsu Sawada level breaches of personal space to a stranger; he threw his arm around her waist pulling her to him when he saw something interested him, ruffling her hair when she said something cute ( _to her annoyance, though not at the ruffled hair, but the treatment like a child_ ), and putting his face into hers to share one of her frequent mischievous smirks.

At the end of the evening when they finally separated he was sure of two things; one, he and Konoka had virtually no barriers between them left anymore and two, his stalker was not some staff member, but a young woman with a probable connection to Konoka given the steadily raising ill intent directed at him.

Finally stopping at the woods not too far from the apartment, _don't want to mess up anything if this gets physical,_ he turned and addressed the trees.

"You can come out now I know you're following me!" he called as casually as if he were inviting somebody to join him on his walk.

There was a brief pause before his eyes picked up a movement in the dark and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, but not a second later a falsely blank face of a young woman about Konoka's age slid from the trees with cold eyes and a sword drawn.

' _ **Ki User**_ ' his V.H.I whispered

"Hello" Tsuna said pleasantly as if this was a typical meeting one could expect on an evening walk, sadly it kind of was for him.

The girl narrowed her eyes, and Tsuna's intuition tagged the expression matching it with someone else he'd met that day with a glare and a fondness for blades.

"Hey, cool you have a sword" Tsuna said 'obliviously', "You wouldn't happen to be a student of Kuzunoha-sensei would you… though you look a little old to be in elementary."

"What are your intentions for Konoka-Ojousama" the young woman cut him off, clearly in no mood for his Iemitsu Sawada act.

' _Well, at least she's forward'_ Tsuna thought dryly, _'All the snakes with their double talk gets exhausting after a while… and now I'm thinking about how refreshing it is that somebody is upfront with their want to kill me, what has my life become?'_

"Um, be friends?" Tsuna answered slowly with wide eyes, even going as far to point a finger to himself absently, like he was saying _'Why-was-she-was-questioning-him?'_

"Don't play with me!" she barked face flushing red with anger, "Friends don't touch like that, they don't constantly h-hug, and g-give each other k-kisses like that!"

… _Or maybe she wasn't flushed in anger, huh, was it just embarrassment or… jealousy?_

' _Though we weren't kissing, maybe that's just what it looked like from a distance'_ he recalled thinking of the game they'd started invading each other's personal space when Konoka realized what he was doing, even if she didn't question why.

' _Should I clear that misunderstanding up_ ' Tsuna thought looking at her flushed face, ' _…Nope'_ this would be too amusing later for the teen boss. The smirk that flickered on his face was not sadistic ( _or worse_ _ **Reborn-like**_ ) in the slightest and who ever said otherwise was a damn dirty liar.

"You womanizer!" the girl shouted at him apparently mistaking the reason behind his _angelic_ smirk, and charging him with her blade

 _'Well if that's an under reaction'_ he thought sarcastically.

"I will protect Konoka-Ojou sama's virtue!"

Slipping into a brief stance, he let the blade get within inches of his nether regions ' _Damn this girl's brutal'_ before in a deceptively quick movement stepped to the side, slipped his arm around her torso, and flipped the misguided girl over his shoulder.

"Look we clearly got off on the wrong foot" Tsuna said rubbing the back of his head ignoring the blatant attack on his manhood, "But I think we may be having a miscommunication, how about we start over, I'm Tsuna Sawada, and you are?"

The girl on the ground just stared at him incredulously; apparently, she wasn't quite so used to opponents who chatted like they were shooting the breeze in the middle of battle.

 _Good_ , at least she avoided the crazies up till this point. Not even the stupid did that, and even the arrogant waited till they were clearly winning to talk smack. It was the crazies who talked to you, and unfortunately you often had no choice but to respond because they were often far more skilled ( _thus the crazy-to-strength-ratio_ ) and held your life in their hands.

The girl instead raised her blade again

"I will not trade pointless words with one who wishes to use my Ojou-sama" the girl said coldly

"…I don't _think_ I'm using her _that much_ really" Tsuna answered her in a genuine moment of stupidity; in his defense he had been thinking about the give and take nature of the friendship he'd established with the young woman earlier in the afternoon, and not how inflammatory his phrasing was.

"I don't care how much, any is too much!" the girl barked at him and set herself to attack again. And that was when his second stalker intervened.

"Setsuna!" barked an adult male voice, and the girl Setsuna froze, while Tsuna just looked over curiously as if greeting a new guest to a dinner table.

"Takahata Sensei" the girl said evenly not taking her eyes off him.

' _Takamichi T. Takahata wasn't he one of the people on the persons of interest list Reborn gave me'_ Tsuna thought before his mind tagged the face of the white-haired man making his way towards them.

"Hey, aren't you that guy from the Sorcerer's Weekly Mag" Tsuna said with a cheerful snap of his fingers thinking back to the Calvin Klein looking photo that made him want to buy clothes for the girls' souvenirs.

"Guilty as charged" the older man said with a laid-back smile, but Tsuna's Intuition was 'pinging' various contradictions like crazy.

The hands nonchalantly in his pockets, _**No Weapons-Dangerous Still**_ , the easy tone of his voice, _**Deliberate Measured Weighted with Command,**_ tawny eyes relaxed yet observant, _**Dangerous**_.

Tsuna didn't drop his oblivious smile but something Decimo slipped into his posture, this was not some prideful teenage girl operating on half accurate information and prejudice, but as Kyouya would put it, a carnivore.

He saw tawny eyes register the split second almost invisible change and respond with an appeasing smile.

' _That's interesting, no prejudice?'_

"I believe the Dean specifically asked that you not be found in situations like this Setsuna-kun." Takahata spoke simply and casually, but the young girl flinched anyway.

"I was merely asking for his intentions towards the young Ojou" Setsuna replied simply; though giving her slight exertion, scowl, and the sword _still_ pointed at him, Tsuna felt her answer was just a _touch_ lackluster for the current situation.

"Asking him by threatening his manhood?" Takamichi responded with a raised eyebrow

"…I'm very curious"

… Well, Tsuna had to give the girl credit for soldiering on like that; it was exactly the kind of unrepentant bull crap answer his own family would probably feed him for their own wild less than sane actions.

"I'm sure you are" Takamichi replied, impressing Tsuna even more that he could say it without even a hint of sarcasm, "However I thinks it's best we leave your curiosity unsated for the time being, and we do what the Dean suggested and save such actions until _after_ we have hint that he may need to take responsibility for 'something something'."

' _Wait, what?'_ Tsuna thought looking at the burning hatred in Setsuna's eyes

"The Dean said what now?"

"Well you did imply that it was _Konoka_ who wasn't ready for a serious relationship Sawada-kun" Takamichi answered with a smile.

"Beast" Setsuna muttered, "And there was something sensei, I saw him k-kissing Konoka-Ojou!" she pointed to him accusingly.

Tsuna would have responded but his mind was having a little trouble reconciling how his throwaway statement had indirectly led to all this threatening of family jewels, and intentions questioning.

' _Well now I know why she's so angry'_

"I'm sure the Dean will be quite happy to know that" Takamichi responded cool as a cucumber

' _I bet he would, why are meddlesome old people always so interested in my damn love life'_

"Now go on, I'm sure Sawada-kun-"

"Tsuna, Takahata-san" Tsuna interrupted, as overly polite as he could be with manners, he hated being referred to formally himself, at least with his real (or Japanese) name.

"I'm sure Tsuna-kun would be willing to subject himself to questioning at another time from someone…not you" Takahata finished lamely

' _Well if you can't be polite at least be honest'_

The girl spared him one last death glare before carefully sheathing her blade with a painful looking nod. That probably wouldn't bode well for later, he'd have to find a way to talk to the girl later and deal with that hostility.

"Um Setsuna-chan" he said sticking to oblivious character, and swallowing his amusement of the very animal like hiss at the familiarity of her name on his tongue, "If you wanted to spar at a later date I'd be happy to take you up on that" Tsuna continued not entirely sure how else to reach her and falling back on the idiot's version for making friends- which was beat each other into understanding.

"I'd be happy to show my skills and that I'm worthy of protecting Konoka" he said with a smile as if he'd misunderstood the total byplay that just happened trying to appease her.

Though that being said he couldn't help but feel he may have missed the ball on that one given Takahata's visible wince and Setsuna tensing.

"Time and place" the girl grit out, and Tsuna couldn't help but feel this would be an even deadlier spar then he'd originally intended.

' _This is why I don't use idiot solutions'_ Tsuna mourned in his head, he'd been spending too much time with the psychos that were his family, what happened to Enma his sole sane friend in an insane world.

"Well not during the school week, we'll both be too busy and tired, so how about on Sunday morning right here, since I'm busy Saturday?"

Setsuna merely gave a curt nod and disappeared in the shadows of the trees, not like it mattered with his trained senses, Flames, and intuition tracking her progress away from them.

A beat of silence passed before the two men left on the road faced each other sizing each other up.

"So, you're the smoke scent that was hovering near the dean during our meeting" Tsuna said in a light but still more serious than he'd been before tone; if this person already saw him as Decimo there was no need for the idiot character.

"So, you knew I was there, I thought you might" Takahata said with a relaxed shrug before facing the way to Tsuna's apartment, and Tsuna didn't miss the silent invitation to join him, after a moment he strode along the rode with Takahata at his side.

"What brings you to these neck of the woods sensei" Tsuna asked after another short silence, there was no overt hostility, but it was clear that the both were keeping an eye on the others movements.

 _ **Curious**_

"You left some papers the Dean wanted you to look at, and you can just call me Takamichi we'll be working around each other a lot." Takamichi answered coolly handing him some folder, even as Tsuna choked at the sight of even more paperwork.

' _And interesting excuse, but an excuse nonetheless, is he really that curious'_

"You're going to tell him what happened here tonight?" Tsuna asked waiting for him to nod before continuing, "Then tell him too much paperwork will keep me away from Konoka, I'm sure he'll be ecstatic at seeing us hanging around each other."

"Are you using an old man's pure wish to see his granddaughter happy to get out of doing paper work?" Takamichi asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes" Tsuna answered shamelessly, and watched as Takamichi tried not to laugh, "Let's not pretend he's not loading up on paperwork to get back at me for cutting him off in his mysterious old man persona and voicing his thoughts aloud."

Takamichi coughed

"That's what I thought" Tsuna said with a deadpan nod, "What about me protecting Konoka got sword girl in such a tizzy?"

"She's Konoka's bodyguard" Takamichi answered after getting control of himself.

Tsuna stopped mid step as images of Hayato pulling dynamite on a special guest at a rich person's party for insulting him, Chrome trapping an Underboss of a major Famiglia in a hellish illusion when he mentioned his propensity to fail at romantic relationships, Reborn who claimed his gun slipped when the prime minister of Japan said something behind his back.

"…I am so screwed" Tsuna groaned

"It won't be that bad" Takamichi said patting him on the back, it reminded him of his first meeting with Takeshi after Tsuna had inevitably screwed up and the baseball ace had thrown a comforting arm around a total stranger's neck.

Wait

' _Why did I think of Takeshi just now'_ Tsuna thought, he knew himself quite well, and he knew that even in the privacy of his thoughts his intuition was likely to slip in some small important factoid.

He turned and looked slightly up at the older man; late twenties early thirties, tall, observant tawny eyes, and the gait of an apex predator, cool and self-assured.

Tsuna narrowed his eyes, those were all Takeshi staples yes, but he hadn't thought about Takeshi at 16 laughing so hard he choked on his food and had to be given the Heimlich. He thought of Takeshi at 13 who'd been dying inside and desperate enough to ask the school loser for advice.

Next to him Takamichi shifted slight unease in his confident gait, no doubt unnerved by Tsuna's stare. V.G.I was the power to see through all things if one was speaking poetically, and it could be unnerving to see someone with unnatural eyes look at you like they were staring into your deepest thoughts. Which he kind of was, people had no idea how much of themselves they reflected in their body language.

It was the smile; the same smile Takeshi used to smile that wasn't quite fake, so much as it was empty, done from habit and a need to plug a deep sense of suffering.

Tsuna wasn't even surprised when he checked Takamichi's aura a second later to see a propensity for Rain Flames, just like Takeshi.

"I need a drink, I've been in this school eight hours and I've already been driven to alcohol" Tsuna moaned piteously rubbing his face, "We'll go Saturday so I can psych myself up for the coming week of problems without affecting my performance."

Takamichi blinked,

"We?"

"You're going" Tsuna said like it wasn't even a discussion, "Bring a woman, there's nothing sadder than two men drinking alone while together."

"Is that right?" Takamichi asked with a raised eyebrow, but Tsuna could see the smile become a little more genuine.

Good, he hated fake smiles

Together they cleared the path to the Sun Hill Apartments right up ahead.

"We'll work out the details after the next meeting with Konoemon" Tsuna said waving it away like it was no big deal, "I'll see you then Takamichi"

"Hold it" he said when Tsuna made it several steps in direction of apartment complex, "Don't want to forget your paperwork" he said with a huge smile.

Tsuna grumbled, he hated fake smiles

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Tsunayoshi Sawada was a man of organization, focus, and repetition… he had to be if he expected to get anything done in the mad house that was Vongola HQ. His schedule was simple if taxing and left significant room for the day's various shenanigans and went thusly:

 **Monday- Wednesday**

0545 hours Wake up and lay in bed savoring his last few moments of peace.

0600 hours Get EXTREMELY dragged by his **Sun Guardian** through one of several soul crushing bone cracking workouts at the pace of inhuman. (If **Sun Guardian** absent start 30 mins early with sadist hitman Advisor, or 30 mins late with _'Pain-is-weakness-leaving-the-body-Trash_ ' Uncle)

0800 hours Eat breakfast with whoever happens to be home and complete daily hygienics

0900 hours In the car going over reports on the way to one of several buildings in the city

1000 hours Board meetings with whatever legal business he's managing that day (lunch will be ordered)

1400 hours Inspect whatever building, warehouse, hotel he's at passing out compliments or recriminations and fixing whatever problems necessary.

1800 hours Do the same thing for various illegal businesses only less formal, more intimidating and rewards are more monetary, and recriminations are more… deadly

2200 hours Do last minute touches and get ready for tomorrow until midnight, then crash for 6 hours and repeat.

 **Thursday and Fridays** were for meetings with important people; threaten this Famiglia, flatter that Boss, blackmail this one percenter, bribe that politician. The weekends were for crisis management; being the dangerous _global_ society they were, there was always _something_ going on. Through a combination of ten highly Flame intensive teleportation machines based from Byakuran's design strategically placed around the globe and some Mach 1 jets, Tsuna could and would be anywhere on the planet in less than two hours.

It was a very busy schedule that left him getting six hours sleep max and a serious of nearly choked down meals, but such was the price of his innocent youth, he now had to make up for lost time.

So, it was a wonder why he sat in bed wide awake at 5:00 am unable to sleep at all. Every morning the past week he would put himself through an intense workout several hours longer than the one he did at home to take up the time he wouldn't have to be in meetings. He spent the late mornings inside the café he found the first day working on his computer putting together reports for his people on the other side of the globe for when _they_ would wake up hours later. He drew up more and more plans for this combining the worlds plan, tried fruitlessly to try to find another source of information than what was provided for him by Konoemon, explored with Konoka after she got out of school, before having a solitary dinner in his apartment suite exhausted.

So why with so much work and plenty of downtime was he up at this sinful hour.

Apparently not even a few days in his new home, spending time with Konoka, doing his "homework" and constant calls back home to his guardians to make sure everything was going smoothly had been enough to relax him in this new place away from home.

In essence he was spoiling his own vacation.

' _Ain't this a bitch'_

His only off days where the First Sunday he devoted completely to each and every single member of his family, and the last Sunday his family went out of their way to insure he could rest. Of course, after sleeping in to a whopping 7o'clock, eating a breakfast in bed, tinkering with his various cars and motorbikes, Tsuna usually found himself terribly bored and lonely by 9:30 and ended up spending the rest of the day with his Famiglia anyway.

' _I guess I should have seen this coming'_ Tsuna thought giving him a few more seconds to live in denial of the possibility that he wasn't going back to sleep before swinging his legs over the side of the be. Reaching for his phone, he searched for the number he'd called every day at this time.

"T-tsuna nii?" said a sleepy voice that made Tsuna frown, it was still evening in Italy

"Lambo, why do you sound like your sleeping?" he asked his little brother

"Cause I am" came the little boy's short reply, and Tsuna was reminded what an ass Lambo could be without sleep.

' _Didn't see you giving a damn for my lack of sleep when I was headed to the airport you little-'_

"Why are you-, wait" his Intuition prickling, "Lambo what country are you in?" he asked semi suspiciously.

"Good night Tsuna-nii" the boy said hurriedly

"No, no, no Lambo don't HANG UP YOU LITTLE PRICK!" Tsuna shouted as he heard the dial tone, he didn't bother calling back knowing the boy wouldn't answer.

Now suspicious he called the next name on his morning stalking his family list

"Good morning Tsuna-sama, all the checkbooks are in the black, the proper people have been roughed up, and Kyoko hasn't left Nammimori" Hayato said immediately upon answering the phone, and Tsuna flushed at the last one.

 _'Was he really that obsessive about it '_

"Just a little boss, but it's fine, you're not the first guy to try and avoid his ex-girlfriend." And Tsuna realized he'd said that out loud, the lack of sleep was getting to him, "It's not like she doesn't do the same."

"…What?" he asked not sure he heard right, she was what?

"She's only human Tsuna-sama, you both are, and it's fine to avoid your problems right now." Hayato said _comfortingly_.

"…Right, avoid my problems" Tsuna mumbled humiliated

"You should probably go to sleep boss, don't think about anything like that for right now. Just rest up and focus on the Mages."

"…Right, thanks Hayato" Tsuna said again, what was he doing calling his right hand at 5 am to talk about his ex-, wait a minute.

"Your welcome Tsuna-sama, okaygoodnightbye" Hayato rushed

"Wait Hayato don't hang-BITCH!" Tsuna slammed his phone, now thoroughly suspicious.

Lambo wasn't in Italy and was likely somewhere in the eastern hemisphere; Hayato had pulled up Kyoko to distract him, HAYATO. His brothers were up to something, there was only one more thing to do.

"Kyoya-" he said into the phone when it picked up

"No" the man said before hanging up

.

Well damn, if they even got Kyoya in on it, there really wasn't anything he could do to stop them.

Sighing and trying not to fold to the headache building,

' _If you snap they win, if you snap you win, if you snap they win'_ he internally chanted his old mantra when dealing with his sadistic tutors and teachers over the years.

5:30 said the clock and Tsuna grabbed the pillow and stuffed it into his face, this was going to be a long year.

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" **So, how was your first week as teacher Professor"** Tsuna asked with a small teasing smile, **"Were you fulfilled, did you feel you were molding young minds and all that jazz?"**

Images of the past week flew by in his head; getting pranked and crushed by his own students in the first eight seconds of meeting them, being unable to reach the board, stripping and angering Asuna, saving Nodoka Miyazaki only to be outed and blackmailed as a Mage not two minutes later by his new roommate, then there was the incident in the bath where everyone of his students saw him naked.

" **Ugh** " the rude drained noise made its way past his lips before he could stop himself, but Tsuna merely laughed. Negi let out an embarrassed but pleased flush at his rudeness making his new friend laugh.

" **Um, it's not** _ **that**_ **bad"** Negi tried to justify, **"They're really mostly good girls"**

" _ **Mostly**_ **, huh"** Tsuna said with a grin picking up on the addendum that he couldn't help adding.

" **I meant completely!"** Negi changed, **"Their all great girls and the work isn't really that difficult-"**

" **Relax Negi"** Tsuna cut him off with another one of Nekane's gentle smiles, _It's perfectly fine you silly boy_ , **"You can complain a little if you want to, that's what we're** _ **all**_ **here for"** he made a gesture around the small Chinese food stand and the various customers of all ages laughing and talking, **"to relax and complain after a taxing first week of school and work."**

Negi felt himself relax a little and let out a sigh, taking the milk drink Tsuna pushed towards him and took a quick swig. The cold drink in the hot steam filled food stand gave him a refreshing chill and Negi let out a more content sigh as he imagined it taking away his fatigue and stress of the week.

" **I really don't want to complain, they're really good girls if a bit… energetic** " he said in a more laid-back tone.

" **You don't have to tell me Professor"** Tsuna said with an understanding nod, **"I had to tutor my little sister and brothers in English when I was still learning the language myself, I know how exhausting teaching can be, and those were my siblings who I saw every day and love!"**

His words drew attention to the fact that they'd been speaking English since half an hour ago when Negi had first shown up at the older teen's apartment complex.

He had been sitting in the dorm room going over plans for next week's lessons when Asuna had asked him if there was anything he did just for fun, accusing him of being a workaholic.

" _You need to be out doing kid things like eating sand and junk with other snot nosed brats"_

" _How old do you think I am Asuna?"_

" _Ara, aren't you just trying to distract him from the fact that you haven't done your homew-"_

" _IF YOU STAY IN THE DORM ALL DAY, YOU'LL TURN INTO A RECLUSE!"_

" _He's a teacher Asuna, he literally can't-"_

" _HE NEEDS TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH PEOPLE OUTSIDE THIS DORM BEFORE HE TURNS INTO A NEET!"_

He had been about to call Asuna out on the infallibility of her logic, but her words had reminded him of a friend he'd in fact he'd made on his first day at Mahora and since hadn't made any attempts to contact. Asuna had been exactly right,

" _I am? I mean of course I am Baka Negi, now go out and don't come back until it's too late to look and check on anymore work!"_

"… _Asuna"_

It had been a little bit of a walk considering the University section was kept separate from the Elementary, Middle School, and High School sections, and the apartments for said section kept even more separate.

Negi had been in such a rush that he had forgotten to feel nervous about showing up unannounced to the home of someone he'd spoken with only once for a couple of hours. He'd been standing in front of the door the directory said belonged to resident Tsuna Sawada suddenly feeling unsure when the door had opened wide as if he'd knocked.

Tsuna had merely looked down at him hair wet, phone on his ear, with a smile as if he'd been eagerly waiting for him to come for him the whole time.

Asking Negi to wait long enough for him to find his shoes before they could head out, then promptly closed the door. Not four seconds later Tsuna was back looking desperate to escape his apartment and they were walking down the street talking mostly about what Tsuna had been up to while he waited to start his classes next week, before Negi pointed out a food stall he'd become familiar with.

He hadn't realized it till just then but having someone to speak to in his native tongue took a subtle pressure off his mind he hadn't even known was there. He wasn't yet at the point where he'd presumably be able to think in his host country's language, always taking an extra second or two to translate everything he heard and said in his mind before responding to questions asked.

"Here's your order sensei and sensei's friend" said a cheerful voice interrupting them

"Ah, thank you Chao-san" Negi said looking at the food, "This looks delicious!"

"Well try at and let me know if it tastes delicious too" the bun haired girl said with a cheeky grin, "I'll be in the back so let Satsuki know if you need anything!"

"We will, thank you" Negi replied earnestly, before using his hands to pick up a meat bun, and wasn't that a merciful break from the chopsticks, and chomping down on it heartily.

" **I take it that was one of your students"** Tsuna asked not looking at the meal, but rather eyes stuck in the direction Chao-san had wandered off to.

" **Yes, Chao Lingshen, seat number 19** ", Negi replied after he swallowed the quite delicious food, ' _aren't I supposed to be eating Japanese food since I'm in Japan… oh well I have months to taste the flavors of my host country'_ ,

" **She and her friends own this stand."**

" **How progressive"** Tsuna said with an impressed raised eyebrow, **"I wasn't half that driven when I was their age."**

" **Really**?" Negi asked, from some of the other boy's stories he'd literally been all over the world before even graduating middle school and had tons of interesting friends he'd done the craziest things with.

" **Really** " Tsuna nodded, **"Most of my early adventures were because my tutor and roommate dragged me along into** _ **his**_ **crazy. Which reminds me, you said you're rooming with two of your students?"**

" **The dorms available for teachers were all boarded up because I got here so late in the year."** Negi answered with a nod, though truth be told he wasn't all that disappointed, being by himself in an apartment would have killed him-

 _Endless days staring at four wooden walls_

 _Nekane at school, Anya away, Old Man Stan yelling at him_

 _Silence, silence he hated, silence made the questions no one would answer appear_

-he hardly knew how to look after himself sometimes let alone a small home.

" **Right, so what are your roommates like?"** Tsuna asked as he picked up some chop sticks and set to hasty work on the chow mein noodles

" **Well one is Konoka Konoe, she's the dean's granddaughter, she's very kind and sweet and cheerful, and she makes delicious meals"** Negi answered thinking of the pretty brown-haired girl with a sunny grin and a mischievous personality, who tended to mother her other two roommates.

Across from him Tsuna had stopped eating and looked at him with dead eyes, **"Let me guess, you're rooming with her was the dean's idea wasn't it."**

" **Yes, it was, does that matter?"** Negi asked a bit confused by the sudden shift in his friend's attitude

" **Nope, doesn't matter at all that you of all people would be bunked with such an intelligent** _ **observant**_ **young woman as her"** Tsuna said with a smile, though Negi couldn't help but feel this one was lacking some… everything really, it really was a terribly blank expression. Though he could've sworn he heard the other boy mumble about if 'he' was even trying to hide it.

" **Ah, okay"** Negi said fumbling slightly, but choosing to ignore it, **"You sound like you know her Tsuna?"**

" **We've met, she gave me a tour once"** was Tsuna's easy reply, apparently snapping out of whatever distracted him, **"Well that's good you get along with her, how about the other one?"**

" **Asuna Kagurazaka she's fine"** Negi answered a touch monotonously

" **You don't like her do you"** Tsuna asked bluntly

" **No of course I"** Negi made to argue before he caught Tsuna's even look and remembered what he'd just said a minute ago about being able to relax, **"I… we're still getting used to each other."** He finished off instead.

" **She snore or something?"** Tsuna asked as he turned his attention back to his food

" **No but she talks in her sleep** ", he mumbled under his breath before a snort from Tsuna let him know he may not have said so quietly enough. However, despite Asuna's rather… violent reactions to his admittedly numerous mistakes, he had to admit he was the main instigator of their current issues.

" **It's really not her fault, I keep messing up"** Negi said instead

" **How so?"** Tsuna asked with a curious tilt to his head

" **I moved into her room without her permission, embarrassed her in class, embarrassed her in front of Takam-, ah her crush"** Negi saved, but Tsuna made no acknowledgement of his slip and likely wouldn't even know who Takamichi was, with a relieved inner sigh he continued, **"I snuck into her bed, and the bath inced-"** Negi cut off a second time realizing that maybe those weren't the two best topics to call attention to.

" **You snuck into her bed, why"** Tsuna asked, looking at Negi incredibly skeptically

" **It's just a habit I have with my sister"** Negi explained quickly before Tsuna could get any weird ideas the way Asuna and Konoka had, **"I woke up in the middle of the night and forgot where I was"**

This did not go into the fact that he'd also slept walked down a ladder from his bed, deliberately ignored Konoka's before climbing up another ladder to her bunk, and accidently kissed her good morning. Nor the fact that he did it every day in the last week.

He had that much of a filter at least

" **Did this only happen with Kagurazaka or did you slip into Konoka's bed too? And why would just sleeping by her anger her, did you do something else too?"** except Tsuna seemed to be given an ability to touch on exactly what he was trying to hide, he'd done so before on the train when he somehow got Negi to mention the _mild_ crush he'd had on Nekane when he was four.

When he posed a question like that Negi's filter crumbled like wet paper.

" **I didn't mean to tear her pajamas off, I get clingy and she looks like Nekane!"** Negi suddenly shouted, there was a brief pause in dinner conversation around them, thankfully he'd shouted in English and most of the customers simply went back to their meals.

Most, a couple of teenagers from the high school apparently understood him because the girls turned stunned horrified looks at him, while the one teenage boy with a pompadour gave him a subtle thumbs up and sleazy grin.

" **Nekane as in the cousin you had a crush on since you were four?"** Tsuna asked slyly, shoulders slightly shaking while he obviously tried to keep the smile off his face, **"Well at least this one's closer to your age, but you really shouldn't make such moves if you're not one hundred percent sure the girl is willing Negi."**

Behind Tsuna's head the pompadour boy burst into laughter, while one of the girls smacked him across the head.

" **Tsuna! It wasn't like that"** Negi whisper hissed as his face burned red, this couldn't be more embarrassing if he tried.

" **I got it Professor, I'm just teasing"** Tsuna said reaching across the table to give his hair a ruffle, **"I'm sure it was a misunderstanding."**

And for a moment Negi relaxed, Tsuna believed him and his torment was done

" **Now what happened in the bath?"** Tsuna asked bursting his bubble of hope that the mortification would end, though he'd mercifully lowered his voice before asking.

" **She said I stunk and tossed me in the bath"** , Negi mumbled, resigning himself to the mortification

" **That's it?"** Tsuna asked, and Negi sunk down into his seat

" **The other girls came in while she was washing me, and we hid, only for me to slip and collide with her naked"** he explained, cutting out the breast measuring contest and use of magic, before blanching.

He'd been so concerned about editing the magical parts of the story out, that he'd forgotten how incriminating the whole sentence sounded. Teacher taking a bath with his student, just starting that sentence could get him fired or worse.

Negi hesitatingly looked up to Tsuna, only to see he'd put down his utensils and was staring at him with burning orange eyes squinted, head tilted, face in a serious expression like he was trying to figure something out about the young mage.

" **T-tsuna?"** Negi called after a significant moment of silence had passed, this was honestly starting to worry him.

" **You said the other students came in, do they not have baths in the dorms"** he asked, quizzical expression still on his face.

" **They have stand-up showers"** Negi answered, if Asuna had just let him use that they wouldn't have ended up in such an awkward to explain position, even though Asuna was wearing a bathing suit unlike him.

" **But she took you to the baths instead**?" Tsuna asked, but it came off as more of a statement than a question.

' _Where is he going with this?_ '

" **That's correct"** Negi responded now a little disturbed with how Tsuna was being over these minor details to an overall more embarrassing story, **"Is there something wrong Tsuna?"**

" **Hopefully not"** was his response, what kind of answer was that? Did that mean there was something wrong and he couldn't prove it, or there was not, and he was just obsessed about cleanliness.

" **Why not let you shower on your own?"**

" **She didn't trust me to wash myself"** he answered back still slightly annoyed at that, he wasn't a baby, before elaborating before Tsuna could ask the next relevant question, **"I don't like baths and didn't bathe for a while, a few days upon my arrival."**

Though that was kind of embarrassing when one said so out loud, but again Tsuna wasn't responding and this was really starting to bug him.

" **Is there something wrong Asu, ah, Tsuna"** he asked nearly calling Tsuna Asuna, apparently their names were close enough to each other to provide a Freudian slip when expressing annoyance.

" **Just my intuition niggling me Negi, this will probably be my last question, okay?"** Tsuna asked, abandoning that absent look and giving him an apologetic smile and Negi couldn't help but forgive him.

" **Of course, go ahead Tsuna"** Tsuna gave one last smile before asking his question in a soft almost hesitant tone.

" **Can you swim Negi?"**

 _Icy cold water, Father, warm sun, Anya laughing_

" **Yes** " Negi answered a little taken off guard by the rather unrelated question

" **Do you put your head under water?"**

 _Icy cold, can't breathe, pressure in head, Father!_

Negi didn't respond for a moment

"… **Why are you asking Tsuna…?"**

" **Because someone as immaculate as you does not do childish things like forget to clean themselves because they don't like baths."** Tsuna answered voice low and gentle, like he was choosing his words carefully and didn't want to, what? Spook him? That was just ridiculous.

" **I don't know what to tell you Tsuna"** Negi replied with a fake laugh, _stop questioning, it's not a problem, it doesn't matter_ , **"I was very busy the last few days"**

"… **Okay"** Tsuna eventually responded, but it was clear that he didn't believe him if the 'worried-but-trying-not-to-show-it' look he saw on Nekane's face from time to time was anything to go by.

A brief silence overtook the table and both young men took the time to eat what was left on their plates, noises of happy customers around them. Negi tried not to fidget as the silence ran, and just as he was questioning maybe if he should excuse himself Tsuna suddenly turned to him as if the silence hadn't happened and jumped back into the conversation.

" **So, you want to make it up to this girl who gets on your nerves, huh** " he said with an enthusiastic clap, startling Negi out of his morose thoughts. **"To do that you got to ask yourself what you want to be; Friends, more than friends, agreeable roommates, people who keep it professional in class and relaxed outside of it, people who see other in class and ignore each other outside of it?"**

" **Ah, not the last one"** Negi answered a touch off guard by the abrupt change in subject, **"I really want to be friends with her."**

" **Then that's going to take some communication and no small amount of work if all your accidents are even half as bad as they sound."** Tsuna said seriously with a nod of his head

" **How am I supposed to do that** " Negi wailed, **"Every time I try to use my, ah- talents to help, something always seems to blow up."** Literally in some cases, Asuna was really the least magically inclined person he'd ever seen. **"Surely someone like you would know Tsuna"**

" **Surely someone like me?"** Tsuna questioned with a raised eyebrow

" **You have a bunch of friends, don't you?"** Negi said making his eyes extra big and pleading, **"Somewhere there's got to be a story of two people who don't start off on the right foot becoming friends."**

" **Hmm, well I do know a few stories like that"** Tsuna said looking at the ceiling obviously going through his memory, **"In fact two of the closest people to me used to** _ **loathe**_ **each other."**

Negi leaned forward eyes wide; yes, maybe he could learn something that would help him with Asuna

" **Tell me?"** Negi pleaded, and Tsuna looked back at him before starting and then letting out a sigh.

" **You don't have to use the puppy eyes Professor"** Tsuna said giving a harsher ruffle to his hair, and Negi smacked the hand away with a grin. He couldn't help but think that this is what having an older brother might be like; kind, helpful, exasperated, and playfully rough.

" **Let's see, we all met in in middle school, and my friends were total opposites. One was loud, easily angered, and had no problem showing his dislike to the other who was laid back, smiley, but was just as irritated by the first even if he hid it with a smile."** Tsuna started off with a fond smile on his face like remembering a precious memory and Negi listened enraptured.

He'd only ever really had one friend even when surrounded by students back at the academy, Anya, a girl and they'd practically been born as each other's only friend.

" **For months the hot tempered one would snipe at and belittle everything the laidback one would do or say, while the laidback one would consistently ignore it or pretend to be oblivious to get on his nerves."** Tsuna continued this time with an exasperated sigh and shake of his head as if just remembering was giving him a headache, **"I think their friendship with me was the only reason they didn't just take the gloves off and start a fight with each other."**

Negi for his part was likening the situation to his living situation with Konoka and Asuna with Asuna being the irritated one and Konoka being the Tsuna stuck in the middle whose cheerful personality kept anything serious from happening.

" **So, what happened between them?"** Negi questioned, eager for some advice

" **Nothing"** came the prompt answer.

Negi blinked, **"Nothing?"**

" **Nothing"** Tsuna nodded **, "They stuck near each other and barely tolerated each other out of their friendship to me and buried most of the resentment"**

" **Oh"** Negi said with a disappointed sigh, that wasn't quite the solution he was looking for

" **Until they didn't"** Tsuna continued and a very serious expression came onto his face, like he was angry and disappointed, and Negi felt a little worried for the turn the story was taking, he'd never seen Tsuna wear a face like that.

" **One day a dangerous person picked a fight with them, just for being who they were."** Tsuna continued his tone going darker and Negi shivered **, "He was too strong for both of them, but even so rather than work together and trying to get away their pride got in the way and they let each other get seriously hurt, they could've- had some nasty repercussions had another friend not come and bailed them out."**

Negi noticed the change in the middle of his sentence and had a feeling Tsuna had been about to say something a little more serious than some 'nasty repercussions'. Negi had a feeling this was far from just a little fight.

" **After they regained consciousness they realized their problems with each other wasn't just going to be ignored for all time, because neither had any intention of breaking their friendship with me. It was then they'd started to really talk and learn to do more than just tolerate the other's existence."** Tsuna said finally relaxing back into his seat and letting up on his dark tone with a peaceful smile, **"their pretty much partners now in everything."**

" **Wow"** Negi said stunned **, "So Asuna and I need a dangerous situation for us to bond?"**

" **What, no"** Tsuna asked looking at him like he was crazy,

" **No that only happened because their idiots** " he continued with a straight face, even waving his hand in front of his face, and Negi sweat dropped at how casually he called two of his closest friends morons.

" **You and Asuna are guaranteed to be nowhere near as bad, especially so early."** Tsuna continued, **"Especially, especially because one of you is a woman, that's just how male friendship works Professor."**

" **Were males Tsuna"** Negi felt the need to point out, mentioning their lack of fighting in their friendship

" **Yes, but were not idiots Professor, I believe I said that"** Tsuna said with an innocent smile that looked incredibly genuine as he indirectly called his friends morons again

Negi sweat dropped

" **Just talk to her Negi, from what you told me about her telling you you stink and dragging you to a bath, she seems a very upfront kind of girl. Just tell her what's wrong and ask what her issue is. "** Tsuna advised, **"It may be easily fixable, it may even be that not even she knows what her problem is."**

" **How can you not know why you're angry at something**?" Negi asked, even as his own mind reminded by the bath incident provided for him his poor reaction to Tsuna's questions not a few minutes earlier.

Tsuna looked down swirling his drink cup in his hand before answering in a low voice

" **Anger is such a fickle emotion Negi"** Tsuna said still looking into his cup, Negi couldn't help but think he wasn't all there, " **rarely is it sustained by itself, and is typically used as a mask."**

Burning orange eyes looked at him in the low light of the stall like bright candles, and Negi swallowed slightly perturbed as those eyes tore into him the way they always did when Tsuna got serious.

" **A mask for hurt, confusion, sadness,** _ **fear**_ **; it's possible your moving in is triggering one of those in the girl."**

"… **I don't think Asuna's afraid of anything Tsuna"** he said in a low voice to which the older teen simply shrugged.

" **If you say so, then I'm sure it's not so. Who knows maybe she's a tsundere covering her happiness not to seem too eager, in that case it's a really big misunderstanding between the two of you."**

An image of Asuna blackmailing him, poking him, whacking him in the head, and nearly pulling his hair out in the bath hit him and he sweat dropped again.

' _Somehow I don't think that's it'_

A silence passed as both men leaned back and digested Tsuna's words along with their food. His advice of just coming out and saying his problems to understand why they got into the arguments in the first place running around in his head, but before that another smaller not argument came to the forefront of his head.

Negi glanced up at Tsuna who was leant back calmly looking out to the sidewalk, observing the night life of Mahora City with a peaceful expression. Tsuna had never judged him for his weird appearance, way of speaking, or his anything really.

He'd met a ten-year-old in a suit, on a train speaking English, claiming to be a teacher, and rather than doubt or look at him crazy, struck up a conversation with him. He'd helped him off the train, offered his advice (twice now) and extended his hand in friendship.

There was no reason to think someone like Tsuna would laugh at or belittle him, no reason to not trust his first friend in another country, and even his first male friend period.

So, racking up his courage Negi decided to take a plunge

" **You…"** he started, and Tsuna looked at him with patiently curious eyes, **"You were asking about why I don't like baths."**

Tsuna stared at him for a moment and Negi shifted, realizing he didn't have much of a plan for what he was going to say. After a moment Tsuna continued for him

" **I have a theory, or rather an observation I'd like to question you on, you really don't have to answer Negi it's just an observation"** Negi merely nodded not looking the older boy in the eye.

" **You don't like water over your head**." He paused, and Negi jerkily nodded, **"Since you know how to swim, I'm going to guess it's not a total fear of water, but at the same time I'm willing to guess you don't take showers if you can avoid it and probably wash off with just a cloth."** Negi nodded again not speaking.

" **Do you want me to say what I'm thinking, or can you guess?"** Tsuna asked kindly

Negi took a deep breath, it wasn't that big of a deal, he just didn't like talking about it.

" **I drowned when I was four"** Negi finally answered,

 _Water rushing in lungs, doubt, fear, Father_

" **I did it on purpose trying to get 'somebody who was important to me's attention… I'm not afraid of water; I just…**

 _Water swarming, can't breathe, vision darkening_

… **don't like baths."** He finished with a shrug

"…"

"…"

"… **Okay. Thank you for telling me… do you want to me to tell your roommate to back off?"**

" **What, no!"** Negi blinked taken aback, **"It's fine, really. I'm not paralyzed by it or anything; I said I learned to swim anyway"**

' _Harder than any magic I ever learned'_ he thought remembering Nekane's firm hand making him feel safe… and then Anya's bratty teasing motivating him to let go of that hand and get it over with.

" **I just don't like talking about something I did so stupidly**." He finished now old enough to feel properly embarrassed by his four-year-old self's rather short sidedness.

" **We all do stupid things to impress people Negi"** Tsuna said in a patient tone, his eyes going briefly nostalgic, **"My father used to work outside of the country, I used to do stupid things like light junk on fire to see if he would come home. He had been gone for years once and I remembered the last thing I did was accidently set something on fire when he was visiting with his boss once, doesn't make sense but…"** Tsuna finished with a self-deprecating shrug.

" _You can't see him because he's dead, that means he can't ever come back!"_

" _Negi let the dogs loose again, that boy is going to hurt himself one day"_

" _I'm sorry… too late… I have no right… be happy Negi"_

" **IT'S NOT"** Negi suddenly shouted, making Tsuna across from him go wide eyed, and Negi flushed slightly embarrassed, **"It's not stupid to want to see your father again and doing whatever you can with what you have to try and make that happen. It's not stupid at all."**

"… **Thank you Negi"** Tsuna mumbled after a moment, and Negi watched in awe as the cool older teen suddenly looked cute and bashful before he seemed to catch himself with a cleared throat and returned to normal, but Negi memorized the expression anyway.

" **Then by that logic, none of the things you did were stupid either"**

" **I almost died"** Negi protested

" **Doing whatever you can with what you have for a desperate wish in your heart is never stupid"** Tsuna said turning his logic back on him, **"… though yeah we were both kind of idiots, even if the wish itself wasn't stupid."**

Negi couldn't keep the grin that spread across his face off if he tried, a weight that had settled on his shoulders without his notice had lessened.

" **Yeah, I guess we kind of are"** he laughed.

.

.

" **So, you're saying you saw** _ **all**_ **of your student's naked?"**

" **TSUNA!"**

 _()()()()()()()()()()()(())())()()()()()()())()()()())()(()()()())()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()())()()()()()()())())()()()()()()()()()()_

Chao Lingshen did not panic as she watched her teacher and ancestor get teased by the mysterious young fluffy haired male across from him. Chao's did not panic in general; her rather brutal training almost insured such reactions could not happen.

Chao Lingshen did not panic, but she could admit to a brief momentary spike of intense worry and caution.

The answer towards this mystery as to why Lingshen was having a not moment of panic was the person sitting across from her dear Negi-sensei, or rather the power that dwelled beneath the surface.

Dying Will Flames

She could sense them; powerful, engulfing, unbelievably pure and refined. It was actually rather disturbing to look around at those she _knew_ were mages walk around so obliviously to the power right in front of them; like chattering monkeys unaware of the lion sitting so casually in their midst.

Why was this so ultimately important, when she didn't care two licks about the wellbeing of most of these people, especially when the only person she did care about, was the little cub who this great lion seemed to have adopted?

Because he wasn't supposed to be here

Way back when Lingshen first realized that time travel as a concept was really truly a tangible possibility she had gone to study her history with religious fervor; she would only get one chance to go back lest she upset some cosmic balance and she had to be _sure_ of what she wanted to change.

At first, she'd focused on a few famous events; the discovery of magic, the mars landing, the fall of Mundus Magicus, before ultimately deciding that she would have the most impact by influencing the lives of the people most likely to change the world at a time when they were still developing.

She couldn't afford to manipulate the entirety of history, so just a few gentle nudges here, an important ideal there, even her silly little explanations about being a Martian, all to implant an idea that might take root and lead to a better future.

All that was in danger of the carnivore that had come waltzing in like nobody's business

' _Could Negi's journals have been edited?_ ' she questioned watching how well the two young men were getting along, the young boy was pink from embarrassment while the older was red from laughing, ' _I doubt he wouldn't have written about this experience, and none of the girls who had journals from this era mentioned a uniquely orange eyed man'_

Her findings were quite the opposite, every account she could find about Negi and Ala Alba's first encounter with denizens of Cosa Nostra wouldn't happen for another ten years, and the beginning of the combining of the two worlds wouldn't happen for another ten years after that.

The driving force for that combination being the friendship between Vongola Neo Primo Serafino Vongole' and S-Rank Magister Mage Negi Springfield, who had met at the college graduation of their mutual friend Ayaka Yukihiro; the Yukihiro family had made quite the profit being the mediators for such a historic deal.

' _There should only be three people with Vongola blood in this- no wait, there was a fourth in some monastery being raised by monks or something'_ Lingshen thought remembering the tell-tale orange/amber eyes of a Vongola, ' _especially with that amount of power and the fact that he's being allowed on Mahora grounds at all meant he had to be pretty high ranked'_ , thus her deduction of him being a Vongola.

Lingshen looked down playing with her bracelet, made of a unique material called **Mammon Chain** used to block her own Lightning/Storm Flames, as she contemplated what to do with this new information.

' _Could my coming back have changed so much already?'_ she thought going over everything she'd done in the last two years, she didn't think her changes extended outside of Mahora.

' _Then again Cosa Nostra has had their own limited form of time travel in the Bovino Famiglia for decades already. I even got some of my notes from them'_ she thought remembering long hours translating scribbles on ancient crumbling pieces of paper, ' _it's entirely possible they have ways to keep an eye on these things, tch, was I too arrogant?'_

The correct answer was yes, yes she was; she ignored the former ( _or was it current?_ ) criminal society that had such a huge if not entirely positive impact on the future because a history book told her they'd stayed in their own corner of the world at this time.

History was hardly written with accurate information and even then, it didn't tell the thousands of behind the scenes events leading up to the major ones, isn't that after all why she had come so far back to this seemingly insignificant time period in the first place? Careless.

Careless and potentially fatal, because though she'd never heard the name Tsuna before, unless Vongola Nono had an excellent complexion or this was the lost Vongola cousin from the Himalayas, that was Vongola Decimo before he was Vongola Neo Primo.

…

" _Ling Ling, when you go back to the past, I must ask that you be careful" an old wizened voice spoke from behind her as she focused on the pocket watch in front of her._

 _She was nearly finished, she just had to do some last-minute calibrations to attune the watch to the giant tree in Japan and wait for the next big magic surge and she was golden._

" _Don't worry granny" Lingshen called back not looking up from her project, "I've already completed some preliminary tests with the cat, before going back to yesterday to grab the pie before it spoiled" she said gesturing to the empty pie tin on the work bench "it's as safe as can possibly-OW"_

 _Her screwdriver fell to the ground as she piteously clenched the top of her head,_

" _Granny!" she whined, "You said I could finish off the pie"_

" _I'm not talking about the pie or the machine stupid girl" Granny growled, "Just like your idiot genius grandfather always so smart, always missing obvious."_

" _What?" she blinked, honestly the old woman didn't make any sense sometimes_

" _I know the machine will work, your just like idiot genius husband, I know what you'll make will work" Granny said with a roll of her eyes, "I'm talking about people girl, people!"_

" _What about them?" she asked curiously, "I know not to mention future stuff or things I can't explain."_

" _I know you won't Ling Ling, but please be careful anyway. These people are not all what you hear and see in the books, some can be dangerous to a little mystery girl who's a little too smart and knows things she shouldn't" Granny warned, but Lingshen only smiled_

" _Yes, Granny I know"_

" _Good" the old woman nodded, "And one more thing"_

" _Hmm?" Lingshen nodded not looking, only to get another whack on the head, "Ow Granny!"_

" _Pay attention Ling Ling this is serious" the old woman said turning her fully around and placing hard grip on her shoulders. Lingshen stopped fidgeting as the seriousness in her great grandmother's voice finally caught her attention._

" _Whatever you do,_ **do not** _, provoke the Vongola" and Lingshen blinked, was that it?_

" _I know Granny" Lingshen said trying to keep her voice respectful to the older woman's fears, "I won't go anywhere near the Vongola Famiglia, weren't they criminals back then anyway?"_

" _Not the family girl, the man, DO NOT provoke the Decimo Serafino Vongole'" her Granny said ignoring the aside and squeezing her shoulders harder._

" _The Great Uniter?" she asked a bit surprised, "Isn't he some great pacifist, how would I provoke him at all?"_

" _He's a pacifist as long as he's not deliberately provoked, as long as you don't touch someone he's decided is_ _ **his**_ _" Granny countered strongly, before cupping Lingshen's chin "And I know you Ling Ling, you can irritate anyone if set your mind to it._ _ **Don't.**_ _"_

" _Weren't he and Gramps friends? Grams Kiko is his daughter" still unable to resist clarifying," we even see her grandchildren every other week, I'm not sure how bad I can."_

" _CHAO LINGSHEN" Granny cut her off, and Lingshen stopped talking, noticing for the first time how shaken the old woman seemed, no not seemed, she was actually shaking, Granny didn't shake or get scared._

" _You are strong, and everyone in our families have been strong, you do not fear power the way most would, and you ignore the danger of provoking people who have it" Granny stared into her eyes like she wanted to throttle her, and then hide her away from the world._

" _Granny…"_

" _Promise me Lingshen, promise me that you WILL NOT_ _ **PROVOKE**_ _HIM" the old woman intoned practically breaking her arms._

" _I won't go near_ anyone _with Flames in that era Granny" Lingshen said before adding a dutiful "I promise" when the old woman didn't ease up on her grip._

 _Granny stared down at her for a moment before pulling her into a hug, "I know you do child, but I can't help but worry. Of all my children, stepchildren, grandchildren, grand stepchildren, and great grandchildren you are the only one to inherit my genius idiot husband's stupid luck… and stupid in general."_

 _Lingshen wondered if she should feel insulted_

…

' _Granny, if I live to see you again I owe you a huge apology'_

Vongola Decimo was here in Mahora, chatting with her ancestor ten years before the two were even supposed to meet, possibly tracking her for her interference with the time stream, and making friends with someone she intended to, well not seriously hurt (if only for the birth sake of her relatives) but certainly encumber.

If Granny was to be taken seriously, Decimo was not a man to sit idly by as someone he proclaimed as 'his' was in danger.

' _So how do we go about getting around the influence of one of the most powerful people in the world without provoking him at least a little"_ Lingshen thought to herself, though honestly it never occurred to her that she would have to find a way to not provoke someone as pacifistic as the Great Uniter; Grams Kiko and her brood were always so kind to Lingshen and her Granny even though those with mage blood were treated li-

' _Wait a minute'_ Lingshen thought, a very risky but all too rewarding gamble entering her head, ' _if Decimo was that protective of his chosen, wouldn't a viable way to avoid his ire be to_ become _one of his chosen?'_

Dangerous thought, but not an impossible one. She didn't know what drew this man's Sky Flames, but she could guess that if he was here and chatting with Negi-sensei that even if he was looking for some disturbance in the space time continuum, he was no doubt also here on some official business to gain influence in the mage world.

Here she was an activated flame user, technology genius, battle mage, with deep connections and some seriously valuable secrets. And she already knew Cosa Nostra, if Grams Kiko was anything to go off of, hadn't given a damn about things like stature of secrecy that she would essentially be putting in a vice grip.

' _After all,'_ she thought turning back to the food she was preparing and leaving the two powerful one day leaders to their bonding, ' _I'm sure Chao Bou Zi is the perfect place for a young investor from the Seashell Corporation to want to look into.'_ She thought with a happy little hum, already making such arrangements in her head ' _I'm sure no one would question a meeting between two young business owners, if they were to be seen in each other's company in the months leading up to a major money-making event like, oh saaaaaay, a certain school wide festival.'_

A slow smile made its way to Lingshen's face as her brief not panic faded into something entirely more optimistic and just a touch devious.

 _Yes, this would work nicely._

 **A/N:** Aaaaaaand Done! See what I mean about the flow of the story, I had two different scenes from two different times and couldn't for the life of me find a smooth way to connect them without throwing a bunch of filler. Sorry about all the bold, it's them speaking English I'm trying to find something less harsh on the eyes.

 **Negi Springfield:** Yes, I know his dislike for baths is just that in the canon, but I decided to connect it with the times he put himself in danger, so his father would save him when he was a kid. In case you can't tell Negi's got some issues in a he's a pure work of art with some very subtle cracks beneath the service kind of way. Tsuna's kind of the same but his will be a more obvious.

 **Chao Lingshen:** Show of hands who called it about her being the disturbance Reborn mentioned in Tsuna's Tertiary objective, we'll be coming back to that. A lot doesn't make sense unless you've finished the manga. Her Granny is her great grandmother, you're free to guess who it is if you want, but I'm saying nothing. Her Granny says step children and step grandchildren because my Negi had been married once before he married Chao's Granny.

 **UQ holder** : I just discovered its existence and will be blatantly ignoring that parallel universe in this fic; any similarities are coincidence as I've never read it and don't really intend to.

 **Wizard of Oz References:** Setsuna is the scare **crow** who gets told not to be thoughtless and use her brain. Tsuna is of course the lion who makes several references to courage. Takamichi is the tin man who doesn't think he has a heart. Konoemon is the wizard pulling strings, and Negi is somewhat Dorothy, his trolley to the school even being yellow like a certain brick road. No Toto.


	5. Chapter 5 Staff Meeting

**Sorry a day late and with a bit more exposition to get out, I can be a painfully slow writer when it's something that doesn't hold my interest; God sometimes I wish I could just write trashy scene transitions where someone just gets a handbook that explains everything.**

 **H.G. Wells Reference still hasn't been pointed out but I keep hope alive that I'm not terrible at this**

 **LEAVE COMMENTS**

 **Disclaimer:** See chapter 1

 **Chapter 5 Staff Meetings**

"And finally, I'd like to introduce to you Tsunayoshi Sawada" Dean Konoe said gesturing to the teen male to his left, "Tsunayoshi-kun has been sent as the official representative of the Vongola Famiglia and will be our main liaison between us and the Seashell Corporation."

Takamichi forced himself to keep a straight face as he glanced around and saw the skeptical looks around the room at the Dean's announcement.

"He'll be attending classes at the university while he's here, but make no mistake he is fully qualified to handle negotiations that will be starting the week after the next semester's class trips."

When nobody said anything the Dean gave a nod and looked to the young man at his left

"Tsunayoshi, would you like to say a few words?" the old Dean asked politely and with an affirmative nod the mafia boss in training stepped forward

"It is pleasure to meet all of you" Tsuna started in an overly happy peppy voice, "I hope we experience a prosperous business relationship and that we will get along moving forward."

Takamichi was sure that he and Toko were the only ones in the room not caught off guard by the Mafia 'Boss-to-Be's warm genuine smile.

It was the Saturday after Tsuna arrived to Mahora and Dean Konoe had decided to announce the dealings they would be having with Cosa Nostra to the rest of the magically aware staff. Takamichi knew rumors had spread quickly throughout Mahora's magical population the last few weeks of just such a thing despite his and Konoe's best efforts. However no matter what they did, it's not like everyone was going to forget the army of black suited thugs pulling up to Mahora and having a closed door meeting with the Head of the Kanto Magic Association.

' _Though thankfully it looks like they hadn't been aware of Tsuna's existence'_ , Takamichi thought taking another glance at those present, rightfully so after that very dark promise Vongola Nono had made on Tsuna's safety.

' _I wonder if he would consider the fourteen year old girl currently gunning for his heirs life a serious threat to his safety'_ Takamichi thought to himself wryly, remembering that first eventful day; the boy had been on the campus for only a couple hours and already making waves.

Since then the young teen had made good on his promise to stick his nose everywhere he could on the school's property, dragging the dean's granddaughter along with him, to both Konoe's delight. He was sure the kid made a point to wave at every hidden security camera he came across and had struck up a conversation with over two dozen Magicals despite the fact that he should have no way to tell the difference between a mage and a normal.

Judging from the way Seruhiko-sensei's jaw was currently reaching for the ground, Takamichi was guessing he was one of the Magicals that Tsuna had _casually_ bumped into and asked for directions or some other excuse he'd heard the boy using throughout the week.

" _Hi me and my girlfriend were wondering if you could hold take a picture of us wearing these pancake hats" he said gesturing to a furiously giggling Konoka, "You look like someone with experienced camera handling skills."_

" _Yo hombre, me and my sis were wondering if you were that guy from the coca cola commercial, you're not, well has anyone ever told you would look great in front of the camera?"_

" _Excuse me sir, me and little Ms. 'I-lived-here-my-whole-life-I-know-where-I'm-going' are not so surprisingly lost; can you direct us to the fountain, oh thanks, did anyone ever tell you you look like a reliable direction giving guy?"_

Time after time Tsuna would use these lame excuses that Takamichi would watch from a distance and hold in his laughter; as time after time the subject of his conversation would preen, and then proceed to bluster about how they always thought they could be a movie star, professor, athlete and how observant of him to notice.

Konoka had nowhere near the same restraint as Takamichi and could often be found staring in the opposite direction trying and failing to hold back her giggles.

Around the room others were having similar far less exaggerated reactions as Seruhiko as they saw the identity of the "cold blooded Demon Prince of the Mafia" that Konoe had spent the last half an hour telling them would be coming to take up residence in their precious school.

"Does anybody have any questions?" Dean Konoe asked as if everything was completely normal

Behind Tsuna an illusion of a fluffy bunny wrapped in rainbow and flowers appeared hopping along its way; burnt orange, almost brown, doe eyes sparkled like cinnamon and chocolate, warm and innocent.

Takamichi remembered those same eyes glowing and piercing while an innocent face wore a blissful empty smile, casually threatening to walk out if they didn't bend to his whims.

The bunny materialized a carrot half its size and nibbled it as one of its ears folded as Tsuna tilted his head in curiosity for added effect; Takamichi choked back a laugh.

"Um Dean?" Nijuin raised his hand from where Seruhiko sat still stunned beside him, obviously choosing to be the one to ask the obvious, "I understand were trying to build healthier relations with Flame Users, but what's this about business and corporations?"

The building healthier relations was mostly an excuse that had been given to the rest of the staff that weren't present for the original meeting; it was decided that Vongola Nono's omen of death and that they were actually gearing up for the inevitable destruction of the Statue of Secrecy would be a secret kept to only those present and the Heads of the other Associations.

Nijuin was of course present at said meeting but was asking for the sake of the rest of the room; it was a standard crowd herding technique to direct attention where one wanted it. Direct it and answer some suspicions before they could grow to unrest.

Rather than asking the Dean turned to Tsuna to take the floor

"All kinds of things Mr.…?" Tsuna asked peppy

Takamichi didn't think he would ever get used to hearing that tone from the teenager; the real Tsuna (as Takamichi could perceive anyway) was far more mellow; optimistic or perhaps idealistic true, but there was just a touch of melancholy in his eyes that denoted an experience and maturity his age usually hid.

There was also that odd split in his personality that didn't seem quite natural; unnaturally calm, uncompromising… empty.

This though… this happy go lucky, overly optimistic and simple character being shown to the rest of the staff was just… disturbing.

"It's Nijuin" Nijuin offered

"Nijuin-sensei" Tsuna said correctly deducing that he was one of the staff members, "The Vongola Famiglia has businesses all over the world; we buy, sell, and manufacture almost anything that can be bought, sold, and manufactured."

At this point Tsuna paused looking up and tapping his chin like he was contemplating how to arrange his words, Takamichi wondered if Tsuna even realized how many of his little actions were all planned and acted out. Everything he'd done since stepping into the room was carefully designed to seem as nonthreatening as possible.

' _He did the same thing to Toko'_ he thought cutting a glance at the glasses wearing swordswoman who even now was rolling her eyes at Tsuna's antics, _'He did a far less over the top version for Konoka, possibly because he was more interested in making a genuine friendship with her.'_

Takamichi leaned back on the wall behind him and quelled his urge for a cigarette, they always helped him process a situation, Shizuna was getting on him lately about it being a vice.

' _He did the same thing to Setsuna-kun, even as she pointed a blade at his… Achilles heel so to speak'_ Takamichi thought remembering the day he headed off that immediate confrontation, _'But he didn't put it up around me, if anything he went out of his way to be more genuine to me, just like Konoka… is there a connection?'_

"The Seashell Company that I'm in charge of, is one of several businesses under my family's influence that specifically specializes in advanced robotics, machinery, and pharmaceuticals" Tsuna continued after a moment of thought, "I know you guys have a lot of magical alternatives, but as your still human beings of this world, you still need and use many non-magical products of this era true?"

Most of the room nodded along, completely taken in by Tsuna's enthusiastic style of speech; Takamichi for his part was focusing on the part that Tsuna had quoted almost word for word what the Dean had said to Vongola Nono not a month ago in their meeting.

From the corner of his eye he could see Dean Konoe's eyebrow twitch as he apparently heard his rebuttal to Vongola Nono's plan to merge the worlds shamelessly plagiarized and used in a speech to promote Vongola business.

Takamichi grinned

"The Vongola doesn't do second best to anything, our products are all top of the line, and several of our technologies are a good few decades ahead of the current eras." Tsuna said, not bragging, just the simple confidence of one who knows they're the best and can proclaim it as truth.

"The Vongola is willing to establish contracts to the Mage world to provide some of these projects at a greatly reduced fee in exchange for a broader entrance as part of the supernatural world; up to and especially including magical remedies and medicines." Tsuna gave a gentle almost sad smile, "I know that's the main reason you have people that oppose the secrecy, all the help you could give to non-Magicals without it?"

With that one statement Tsuna managed to quell most of the resistance in the room; there had been people, revolutionist, terrorist, inspirational leaders, and vigilantes of all kinds who'd wanted to collapse the boundaries between the mundane and magical worlds for selfless and selfish reasons both.

The Vongola despite having a foot in the supernatural world we're mostly considered an established part of the mundane one, and could be reasonably used as a way to spread influence on the mundane world without breaking many of the Secrecy Laws.

' _It's kind of terrifying if one stops to think about it'_ Takamichi thought watching the room full of mages get lost in their own thoughts at Tsuna's "innocent" proclamation, probably remembering a time in their lives that they all had, of when they wanted to **burn** that red tape _, 'It's kind of terrifying how easily he can control a room with just a few simple statements; he may not be a selfish snake his position would have you belief, but that smile on his face is_ _ **far**_ _from innocent'_

Across the room he shared a glance with the Dean and gave the man a curt nod, he'd keep a sharper eye on the boy.

' _Looks like that drink we're going to have will be a work outing after all'_ Takamichi thought with a sigh, which was a shame, he was kind of looking forward to a work free outing, _'Face it Takamichi you were going to interrogate the kid either way'_

"Culturally speaking there's no end of things to explore!" Tsuna said with clap in a no doubt calculated move that broke the room out of it's bittersweet revere, "There's so much history to explore! I'm not terribly sure too much of what we can offer back in that respect, but if anybody is a conspiracy theorist, there's a library of hidden treasures about famous events. For instance the space race, _not_ the friendly competition you would belief!"

At that little non sequitur there was a brief pause in the room as everyone blinked bewilderedly at the young man in front of them.

"…Well then" Dean Konoe said apparently willing to brush it off, "Are there any more questions?"

There were not

"Alright then, I wish you the best of luck for Finals Week, and we'll meet back in three weeks."

And with that the meeting was over, and the teachers and other staff members broke into smaller groups talking about the meeting that just happened or exited the room to whatever other appointments they had.

Takamichi for his part remained still, catching Tsuna's eye as the young man began a conversation with the Dean; the younger man gave him a nod that said go on ahead so Takamichi decided to catch up with one of the groups milling about in the break room.

"Well that was… something" Seruhiko said pretty much summing up the general thoughts of the room when he reached the group of him, Nijuin, Akashi, Shizuna, and Toko, "I'm not high right now am I, that did just happen right?"

"If you are then it's affecting all of us because we all heard it" Nijuin answered him breaking into a bag of chips he must have been holding for the entirety of the meeting; of their group only Seruhiko hadn't been present for the initial meeting with Vongola Nono.

"Okay, why do you all seem so okay with this?" Seruhiko questioned looking at them all suspiciously, though his eyes were focusing more on Toko than anybody who hadn't kept her displeasure too quiet during the announcement.

It didn't surprise him that he himself was not subject to the same scrutiny as the others

Takamichi knew he had something of a reputation for being an emotionless robot, taking whatever mission was thrown his way without complaint; 'exterminate a group of bandits' call Takamichi, 'interrogate a prisoner' call Takamichi, 'start a business project with known criminals' ...

More powerful and experienced than half of the room combined (as long as Akashi and the Dean weren't in that half) true, and not especially cold, but still almost disturbingly empty.

Distant, he thought would probably be the word most of his colleagues would use to describe him; hell the only one he ever got into an extended conversations with besides his boss on campus was the ever dogged Shizuna and that relationship could be summed up as…

" _I take it your leaving again?" voice quiet sleepy, feigning indifference_

" _Work" even, feigning indifference, pretending pretending pretending_

Complicated. It wasn't likely to change in the future either because Takamichi himself was…

" _Nagi and Albiero are missing, Jack's taken off, Eishun went home, and Kurt's walking an avenger's path"_

" _Erase her memories Takamichi" voice pained, accepting, feigning relaxed_

" _What do we do now Takamichi" voice young innocent broken_

" _We be happy princess, we be happy" voice tired, sad, feigning optimism, pretending pretending pretending_

Also complicated.

"Why are you looking at me Seruhiko" Toko answered coldly, the woman wasn't even facing the rest of the group focusing on the coffee maker to on the little counter.

"Because I know you Kuzunoha" Seruhiko said suspiciously, "and I know you don't drink coffee unless your irritated and you need to calm down because coffee somehow makes you sleepy."

Toko paused at that and gave him a slightly surprised look while Seruhiko looked smug, the four remaining adults traded glances at Seruhiko's stalker obsessive stalker like tendencies of his "secret crush"

"I don't trust them" Toko answered coldly to no one's surprise, "They're murderous scum who are given free passes to do what they wish because the mundane world doesn't have the knowledge to stop them and the Mage world refuses to fight for their compliance."

At Toko's words Takamichi noticed a slight clenching of Akashi's hand of his own coffee cup, which was odd. Akashi-sensei was typically the epitome of calm and collected (Takamichi had even heard the man be called a warm personable version of him), did the man have a negative history with the mafia?

"His claim of wanting to trade knowledge and medicines is a farce" Toko continued cynically, "It will only be a matter of time before they start wanting to trade weapons, using magic to traffic illegal substances, trying to gain intel on our inner workings."

"Kuzunoha-chan!" called a chocolate warm voice from across the room, pouring warm heat on the chilled atmosphere Toko had been building; Takamichi saw the woman's cynical look turn to minor annoyance.

"Cold blooded killer that one" Seruhiko said sarcastically as he watched Tsuna 'bounce' in their direction, making Nijuin and Shizuna snicker.

"Not him" Toko groused, and Takamichi wondered what magic Tsuna used to make the cold woman forget his identity

" _My_ _ **last**_ _heir, if anything happens to him"_

And automate him as a nonthreat in so short a time

"He's just the rabbit sent to distract us from the wolf" she finished as Tsuna finally made it to their little gathering, from the corner of his eye he noticed Akashi's subtle stiffening.

"Kuzunoha-chan, I thought that was you" Tsuna said innocently even as he stepped into the woman's personal space; Takamichi noted with amusement Seruhiko's sudden razor awareness on the younger man.

"Kuzunoha-chan? You guys have met before?" Seruhiko asked in a terrible attempt at nonchalance, Nijuin rolled his eyes as he bit into another chip.

"She showed me around my first day" Tsuna answered omitting the fact that she had only walked him to the Dean's office, and only part of the way at that, "She told me about her class, and I told her about my family and we pretty much chatted the whole way."

Looking at Toko's face Takamichi could already deduce that his statement was stretching the truth to the breaking point; most likely she had mentioned her class in a clipped sentence or two while _he_ chatted the rest of the way probably mentioning his family in that spiel.

Toko however was too straight a woman to care for pesky little details enough to call him out on his exaggeration and had likely only chopped up his making them appear friendly to his exuberant behavior and not as a way to get the rest of the group to let their guards down around him.

Though from the slightly on edge look on Seruhiko's face as he eyed up the young (and admittedly attractive) young man standing close to his "secret crush" who apparently had a friendly rapport when he had to struggle for just her attention… well Takamichi could say he may have missed the ball a bit on that one.

Toko for her part merely paid attention to her coffee when Seruhiko looked at her for confirmation, unknowingly confirming it by not denying it.

"I'm sorry I didn't get any of your names, mines Tsunayoshi Sawada if you didn't catch it by the way", Tsuna said making a face at his long name, "but please just call me Tsuna, Tsunayoshi is a mouthful"

"Kenichi Seruhiko" Seruhiko practically shouted as he strode forward, perhaps trying to impress upon the younger man his… something, honestly Takamichi had given up analyzing his coworkers odd behavior.

Tsuna stared at him for a moment with a tilted head before snapping his fingers

"Aren't you the guy who used to be a model that I met the other day" at Tsuna's words Seruhiko paled dramatically before flushing as everyone, not just the people in their immediate group, turned to look at him incredulously.

"W-well, I wouldn't say model" Seruhiko coughed nervously, "J-just tried my hand at some pictures once."

"Reeeeeeally" Shizuna and Nijuin said at almost the exact same time, while Akashi and Takamichi looked over curiously, and Toko raised an eyebrow.

Seruhiko flushed some more

"It was a long time ago, we don't really want to talk about that" Seruhiko deflected

"I don't know, I think that sounds pretty-" Nijuin started before Seruhiko cut him off

"So that was you huh, how are things with that girl?" Seruhiko asked in a rush, there was a brief pause as the man seemed to contemplate his own words, "That's right you were with a girl already!"

Tsuna blinked back happily, as if Seruhiko's sudden exclamation and following fist pump were completely normal; Nijuin and Toko made sure to look at him in a way that made it clear they questioned his intelligence, Shizuna giggled as Takamichi and Akashi traded a _look_.

"Yes I was" Tsuna answered back taking it all in stride, Takamichi was beginning to think that Tsuna had a very high threshold for eccentrics given the younger man had neither flinched at Dean Konoe's sudden marriage proposal nor Setsuna-kun's aiming a blade at his junk either, "Your advice on wooing woman was most appreciated, Konoka thought the fake yawning trick was hilarious."

At Tsuna's "innocently" proclaimed words Seruhiko once more went deathly pale before going an even more intense red than before.

"Wooing women" Toko asked skeptically clearing doubting his capacity

"The old yawning trick" Nijuin asked looking disgusted at his friend's unoriginality

"She was right to laugh" Akashi, who had a teen daughter, mumbled dryly

"My my, Kenichi, modeling and wooing women, you have a whole nother life we don't know about don't you?" Shizuna said holding back a grin

"Did he say Konoka, as in Konoka Konoe?" Takamichi threw in just to stir the pot

Two simultaneous hissing noises could be heard at his statement, one from Seruhiko which was more of a despairing whine, and one from Toko who looked properly scandalized.

"You gave a stranger advice on how to seduce your boss's granddaughter!?" Seruhiko whimpered at the woman's rage

"In fairness to Seruhiko-sensei" Tsuna 'stuck up' for him, "Konoka Principessa thought it was more cute than charming; hardly seduction."

Which anyone who'd ever been on a date ever could probably tell you was just as bad if not worse; charming words were worth just more than a dime a dozen, cute and genuine was priceless.

' _That'_ Takamichi thought remembering some of his own past experiences, _'and there was more than one way to be seduced by a person.'_

Looking at the way Tsuna was almost completely apart of the group without even finishing the introductions, Takamichi couldn't help but think that maybe Tsuna was a master at that particular brand of seduction.

' _He has to be doing this on purpose'_ Takamichi thought eying the younger man smiling happily at the stuttering Seruhiko, he didn't miss burnt orange eyes carefully flickering between the two seeing more than could be seen by ordinary eyes, _'There's no way he can integrate himself into the group dynamics so easily if he wasn't'_

"Well it's nice to meet you a second time Seruhiko-sensei" Tsuna said politely ignoring the chewing out the other man was getting from Toko, "I didn't get the rest of your names."

"Mitsuru Nijuin" Nijuin nodded, tipping his bag of chips in an almost salute

Takamichi saw a sparkle of genuine amusement in Tsuna's eye at the odd greeting

"Yes, you were the one that asked the questions everybody was thinking but was too reserved to say." Tsuna commented bluntly

"Yep that was me" Nijuin smiled not the least bit embarrassed

"That reminds me" Shizuna interjected, "You mentioned something about a blending of the cultures and the Vongola having _more_ of a foot in the supernatural."

"Yes that's right" said with a curious glance, before turning on a charming grin that immediately warmed their little section of the room, "I'm sorry I don't believe I was able to get the name of such a vision of beauty."

Shizuna giggled

' _What'_

"How kind of you, Shizuna Minamoto" Shizuna smiled brightly, the smile widened when Tsuna suddenly strode forward and took the woman's hand pressing a gentle kiss to her knuckles

"My lady, it is not a kindness, but the utmost privilege of any man to stop and give praise when they are graced by such a stunning vision of maturity and elegance."

' _the'_

Shizuna giggled furiously; there was even the tiniest tent of pink in her cheeks before it quickly faded.

' _hell'_ , Takamichi felt his brain temporarily shut down as frighteningly similar scene from the one a month ago played out before him and the woman that Takamichi knew, _knew_ , was drooled over by countless men of countless ages giggled like a school girl over what had to be the cheesiest thing he'd ever heard.

' _Is she just weak to over the top compliments?'_ thought trying to make sense of it as he traded disbelieving looks with his fellow men, except Akashi who seemed lost in thought; Toko for her part merely rolled her eyes as if this was expected behavior.

"More of a supernatural foothold…" Toko said pressing for Shizuna to finish her question

"Hmm?" Shizuna asked looking completely mystified before remembering what she had been about to ask, "Oh yes that, forgive me but I wasn't quite sure on what any kind of foothold the M- Cosa Nostra has."

At Shizuna's words those who were pretending not to be eavesdropping around them went silent as they listened in to Tsuna's answer; Cosa Nostra was furiously notorious for guarding their secrets under their own stature of secrecy, The Omerta.

"I know you have Flame Power" Shizuna clarified, "but I'm a little lost on what even _that_ is."

Tsuna blinked at her looking genuinely surprised as he briefly swept his eyes around the room to see curious looks of all present; Takamichi himself only had the bare bones from Dean Konoe having never encountered a member of Cosa Nostra on the battlefield himself.

' _At least not one I recognized'_ Takamichi corrected remembering the Dean's story of how the two sides could disguise themselves as one another from time to time.

"Well Flame Power refers to what we call Dying Will Flames" Tsuna started off slowly, seeing no reaction to the term the younger man leaned back against the wall obviously preparing to give a long explanation, "Dying Will Flames as I was taught are the physical manifestation of one's will, a resolution so strong it's akin to someone performing their last act as if they were about to die, hence the name"

" _Tsunayoshi is my_ _ **last**_ _heir, if anything fatal happens to him even indirectly because of you, we will_ _ **hunt. You. DOWN."**_ _the old Don threatened, his last few words echoing not just in the air but in his mind and soul, chilling him in a way he hadn't felt in years. Dean Konoemon telling him later on that Flames were rumored to be able to touch the soul._

What was the soul if not someone's will, did that mean there was some truth to the old legend.

"I see…" Shizuna answered slowly clearly not entirely seeing, but saying so more to be polite

"Sooo what, you just will magic fireballs into existence?" Seruhiko asked dryly clearly looking for some context.

"It's not magic but yes" Tsuna answered simply ignoring the snark; after a significant amount of time passed for Seruhiko's face to fall he continued, "It's created from emotions and a specific wavelength that exists in the human body which can be called the essence of life itself; typically it's channeled through a specific catalyst and more often used as an energy source for a tool or weapon rather than as the tool itself. It's all very scientific when you get down into it, but for most it comes down to willpower and emotion… and physical conditioning too really."

"What about color" said Akashi speaking directly to Tsuna for the first time, "What significance does color play in the flames?"

There was an odd almost heaviness in the air after Akashi asked, like the answer had significant weight to it; from the way Toko shifted and the splash of bitterness on her face Takamichi guessed she knew the significance of that weight.

' _Do they have a history with Mafia, it would explain some of Toko's hostility at least'_ Takamichi deduced, he would have to ask the Dean about that; he couldn't afford one or both of them risking the project if they had a negative history with the Vongola.

"An excellent question…?" Tsuna said turning to him most likely ignoring the subtext of hostility in Akashi's tone.

"Akashi" Akashi answered almost clipped before apparently thinking better of his stance and letting out a small sigh, "Yuto Akashi" he said more politely

"Well Akashi-sensei, there are mainly seven types of Flames, commonly known as the Seven Flames of the Sky" Tsuna explained before glancing around him, spotting a left out notebook he leaned over and grabbed it before continuing, "Each flame comes with its own weather pattern themed name, colors and properties; there are variations and exceptions but those are rare so we'll just stick to these seven."

As Tsuna spoke he'd already drawn a chart with the categories being name, color, property, and attributes.

"Storm Flames are red and chaotic; they have properties similar to disintegration, they are fiercely loyal and like the storm are furious and unstopping"

"Flames can be loyal?" asked Seruhiko questioning, "They're alive?"

"Not in the self-aware sense no" Tsuna answered, "but given they are made from a person's life energy, wills, and emotions they can have an almost personality to them; however when I say loyal I'm not talking about the Flames but the people."

It was Takamichi who was the first one to deduce what the brunette was getting at

"The people who have storm flames are fierce, unstopping, and loyal" he said aloud even as he raised an eyebrow at how someone with a certain power would have certain personality traits.

Yes people who practiced certain magics like fire could be more temperamental and people with water more cool and level headed, but that had more to do with a person choosing a discipline that suited them. Naturally someone with a calm mind would choose quickly adapting water that was often used in healing magics, and people who were impatient wanted quick powerful lightning and so on.

From what Tsuna was saying it was a person's personality that chose the power they would have; it was Shizuna, the guidance counselor of the group, who voiced exactly that.

"Yes and no again" Tsuna answered, Takamichi idily noticed his smile was a bit more sincere whenever speaking to the woman or Seruhiko than it was to the others, "There are several traits that choose what flames a person is born with, mainly blood, but personality has been theorized to have a big effect. It's sparked a whole lot of nature vs nurture arguments back home."

Takamichi would bet, he could already see the others trying to guess what their personalities would do to their flame types and Tsuna hadn't even told them the other six yet.

"As it is Flames are deliberately named after weather patterns and other changeable symbols instead of just their color or things like water flame and wind flame" he continued, and here his smile took on an almost nostalgic gleam as he thought about something from his past, "because people themselves are changeable. My closest friend is a Storm with a terrible temper most of the time, tearing through everything around him, but when it's important or during a fight, he's like the eye calm and analytical. While an old substitute teacher of mine was also a Storm; though he was calm and peaceful and full of proverbs about making wise decisions _until_ it was time to fight, then he was as untouchable as the wind and a hundred times as unforgiving."

"…Then" Seruhiko started to ask, and really everyone but the silent Akashi who was absorbing the information like his life depended on it, was asking for clarifications on Akashi's question, "How can you tell if somebody's a storm or not?"

"Yeah I'm pretty sure we all have our furious moments from time to time" Nijiun said adding his two cents, despite the fact that the man was and still is one of the jolliest peaceful individuals that Takamichi had ever met over the age of ten.

"Would you believe me if I said I didn't know and have always just been good at guessing?" Tsuna said with a sheepish smile making the others sans Toko who rolled her eyes sweat drop.

Takamichi however had his mind on something else; several times in his interactions with Tsuna the young man had made sudden leaps in logic, reading into people and events with almost disturbing accuracy.

Hyper Inuition the Dean had called it, though Takamichi was having a hard time swallowing such a vague idea. The Dean swore up and down that it wasn't foresight (mainly because the Mafia had it's own taboos about such a power and were quite serious about throwing around accusations about that power), it wasn't psychic power (again because Mafia had their own versions of that and they were sure V.H.I wasn't it), and it wasn't mindreading because there were too many holes in that theory.

It was as the Dean said; a supernatural ability to just be able to "know stuff" without any prior evidence whatsoever.

Though both men were extremely unwilling to simply accept that, and Takamichi made a note to see if he could get the real answer out of Tsuna on another date.

' _In any case, it's an incredibly dangerous power for gathering information nonetheless'_ Takamichi thought, be able to just look at someone and _know_ something so intrinsic about them as their Flame type (the manifestation of their will and soul) was an incredibly useful gift, _'I can see how the Vongola stayed the most powerful snake in the pit with a power like that; there's no need to use force to block hits you already know are coming after all.'_

"Sun Flames are yellow and energetic; they have properties that can only be called activation, like the Sun they are vast bouts of energy and are most in touch with concepts of life and death." Tsuna continued his spiel breaking Takamichi out of his thoughts.

A glance at the notebook revealed the younger man had explained five out of the seven Flame types;

Rain-Blue-Tranquility-Calm/Level Headed, Cloud-Purple-Propagation-Independent/Distant, Lightning-Green-Hardening-Protective/Fast.

"I think I'm a little lost on that one" Seruhiko said even half raising his hand, apparently Tsuna's brief answer had devolved into a lecture hall, as various people in the room nodded along having long stopped pretending to not be eavesdropping, "I mean I can see how activation might be energy and energy can be life, but I'm not seeing the connection to life and death."

"Well it stems back to the quote unquote Original Flame Users" Tsuna lectured, "We know Flame Users have existed almost as long as people, but they were rare sporadic, the odd human surpassing the limits of what was considered humanity and tapping into something _more_. Then a little over four hundred years ago an entire group of Flame Active people came together from across the world to Italy and banded together for their own common goals; one of them, my ancestor in fact, studied himself and his friends before creating a tool that would manufacture the activation of a person's Flames."

Takamichi could see that the younger would have no problem teaching in a few weeks, he was being remarkably thorough in his answers and not using any confusing terminologies. He was either used to teaching, or had had a hard time learning himself and was aware of the things that could confuse students and so made sure to clarify them in his speeches.

"But you can find more on that when researching the birth of Cosa Nostra which I'm sure will come up at some point or another" Tsuna said waving the matter aside, "In any case, the vast majority of common flame techniques, the ones that are known to most of Cosa Nostra and aren't jealously horded by Famiglias, are based off the people who started Cosa Nostra and the birth of Flames as a common staple. The 'Original Flame Users', of those first seven pioneers, the one who possessed Sun Flames was a priest by the name Knuckle."

That got a reaction

"Whoa whoa whoa, there was a priest in the Ma- Cosa Nostra" Seruhiko said waving his hands

"There was a priest named Knuckle" said Nijiun as always focusing on the important

He could just hear Toko mumbling something about not being surprised, but to which statement she was commentating on was unclear; Takamichi wouldn't be surprised if she meant both.

Tsuna merely laughed

"Yes to both, he was a boxer who devoted himself to God after his strength one day killed a man in the ring" Tsuna said with a sad smile; Takamichi could picture it, holding back their strength in comparison to normal and sometimes even weaker Magicals was always a stressful thing to handle in their jobs, "As for why he would forsake his vows for what we all know to be a corrupt organization tainted by blood? Well, let's just say four hundred years is a long time to change… we weren't always this way."

There was another silence as Tsuna rubbed the rather gaudy ring on his hand, it was a habit of his, whenever he talked about his Famiglia, duty, or just something melancholic he rubbed his ring. Takamichi guessed it was symbolic of some form of duty to his Famiglia, perhaps an ancestral ring, though it did look a little new age with the chain and attached second ring to be passed down through the generations.

"So life and death" Tsuna said with a clap dispelling any sour mood before it could have a chance to spread, "Knuckle was a man of God and so found a way to use the power of Activation to heal, by activating someone's cells. Most Sun Users use their flames to augment their own bodies or the bodies of others, and are typically healers."

"What personality variations are there for the Sun" Shizuna asked sounding curiously excited, Takamichi had missed the others, but he had to guess it had something to do with a person's Flames being a sign of their psychology, "Like how Rain was light refreshing showers and heavy overwhelming downpour, with your friend who played baseball and his sword rival with the long hair; or how Clouds could be solitary and distant or overwhelming in abundance, with your disciplinary committee counselor and the stuntman with the octopus helmet."

Huh, that sounded interesting, now he kind of wished he hadn't zoned out

"Hmm, well I have a friend who boxes who is like the noon day Sun, always present always bright source of sometimes overbearing heat and life and energy. He's considered to be a bit… extreme." Tsuna said with an exasperated but loving smile, "I guess my tutor would be the rare representation of the sun's other form; my tutor can be a dangerous man, like the fading light of the sunset; beautiful in its own way but nonetheless a signal of an ending… of closing… of death."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"… he sounds… interesting" Shizuna tried diplomatically even as the others exchanged _looks_.

"Hmm, I guess so" Tsuna said curiously as if he didn't realize he'd sort of dropped a small bomb on them; but then again he really hadn't, they did know he was Mafia after all, "The last of the Flames are Mist and Sky. Mist is almost impossible to nail down, due to its rather flexible nature; they are typically the ones that pass into the Mage world because their powers are either psychic or illusionary and thus hard to recognize as either Flames or Magic."

"The color" a voice said quietly, and Takamichi was again reminded that it was the uncharacteristically silent Akashi that had first asked the question leading up to this little lecture, the man was staring down into his long cold coffee with a serious expression on his face.

Tsuna turned a slightly serious orange eyed gaze on the man, it stretched the innocent fluffy bunny act that he'd been maintaining, but it only lasted a moment before Tsuna answered evenly.

"Indigo, Mist Flames are Indigo"

Akashi merely gave a curt nod before setting down his cup of coffee,

"Well, I thank you for this informative lecture Sawada-san, but I have my own lectures to get to." Akashi answered with only a slightly strained smile; at his words various people around the room started to check their watches and phones before letting out a curse or other explanative and rushing out of the room.

Tsuna himself looked down at his watch before his own eyes went comically wide

"Hiiiiie, I'm late!" Tsuna said in a… startlingly high pitched tone, Takamichi hoped that was a part of the act that wouldn't be repeated, that reaction was just kind of lame.

"Where do you have to go Sawada-kun", Shizuna asked curiously

At her words, a switch had been flipped and Tsuna immediately calmed down with alarming speed before grabbing Shizuna's hand.

"Sweet lady, I believe I asked if you would call me Tsuna" Tsuna said with a smile that was one part cheesy and two parts cheesier.

Shizuna giggled and Takamichi felt his eyebrow twitch, seriously?

Takamichi felt a gaze on his back and turned away from the drama in front of him only to see his boss the Dean leaning from the edge of the door giving him a pitying look. Having caught his gaze the old man lifted a fist in the universal 'Stay-strong-brother' sign of comradery between two men of shared suffering.

What the hell kind of world did he wake up in?

"As it is I have an arrangement I need to make with a young swordswoman, Setsuna-chan" Tsuna answered her previous question.

Toko who was already several steps to the door stopped and turned to face him slowly

"Setsuna Sakurazaki?" Shizuna asked after a moment's thought, "Isn't she the young woman who will be a part of your class?"

"I honestly hadn't double checked" Tsuna answered with a simple shrug, "but I assumed so; she's the bodyguard of the Dean's granddaughter who _is_ a part of the class, and I imagine it's hard to guard someone from a distance."

"You would think so, huh" Shizuna said with a sad little smile, well that was interesting, "Please take care of her Tsuna-kun; she's really a sweet girl, but…"

At her words Tsuna reached down and took the woman's hand that he previously dropped, this time holding them with two of his own close to his heart.

"I'll watch over all of them Ms. Shizuna" he a said in a soft earnest voice, and Takamichi knew he was speaking 100% as himself, "you may have my word on that."

Shizuna smiled, giving his hand holding hers a squeeze before stepping back and making her own way to the door.

Takamichi noted that she hadn't looked at him even once

"Sawada" Toko said stepping forward as soon as the moment passed

"Tsuna's fine Kuzunoha-chan" Tsuna smiled, the solemn seriousness long forgotten

"Sawada" Toko continued ignoring the interruption and the cute addition to her own name, "I must ask, exactly why it is you are going to meet up with my disciple if you didn't even know who she was?"

"Oh that's simple" Tsuna said over his shoulder, already turning for the door "We're going to have a spar!"

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"Your late" she said staring hard at the sheepishly grinning brunette in front of her; by almost a full thirteen and a half minutes, not like she had been gritting her teeth counting or anything.

And on top of that he'd shown up with his own personal peanut gallery made of various teachers of Mahora; there was Takahata-sensei, who wasn't much of a surprise considering he was there when the spar (duel to death) had been called, standing next to him was Kuzunoha-sensei whose presence was actually relieving more than anything, but it was the others whose presence she questioned.

Standing next to her sword instructor was Seruhiko-sensei who also taught in the middle school division for math. Next to him was a portly older man who she thought was named Nijuma or Nijima. A nun and her two protégées had walked up a few moments after the brunette and the teachers.

If she focused her senses she could just pick up the watching eyes of several others, one she knew from experience was Tatsumiya who likely saw the makings of a gathering and had gotten curious with her sniper scope.

Thankfully she couldn't detect anyone else, but one was never too sure with Kaede the sneaky ninja.

"Ah well I seem to have picked up some stragglers" he said in an amused tone clearly unrepentant, "Though I am sorry for making you wait."

' _It doesn't matter'_ she thought not taking her sharp eyes off of The Intruder, _'while you were dallying around, I was preparing myself, mentally and physically.'_

"So are we all ready to get started?" The Intruder asked mockingly polite, as he made a few arm and leg stretches.

As he stretched Setsuna noted that the older man hadn't even changed out of his suit, which other than a pair of clashing/matching orange tennis shoes, looked more or less identical to the one he wore on his d-da-d-outing with Konoka-Ojousama.

"Are you?" Setsuna asked impatient and tired of wasting time, "Will you not even change your attire or are you so arrogant as to believe you can beat me in such restricting clothing?"

The Intruder blinked at her with mock innocence before looking down in mock surprise as if just noting the fact that he was not in the least bit dressed for a due-spar.

"This" The Intruder asked grabbing the edge of his jacket before giving her a beaming (condescending) smile, "Oh no, I'm not mocking you. I'm just used to fighting in formal wear… well when I'm not in like something edgy like a hoodie or a leather jacket, but for the most part I fight suited up. It's two parts convenience, two parts tradition, and maybe one more part pride."

Then tilting his head in a superior manner made to look innocent he gazed at her

"Besides, don't some of the teacher's fight in the same thing" The Intruder said holding them up as a rebuttal, "I know for a fact that I've seen Takamichi bash the he head of some thieves rockin some Calvin Klein."

At his words Seruhiko-sensei burst into laughter, even as Takahata-sensei seemed to start

"When did you see that?" Takahata-sensei asked

"Hmm, a few days ago when I was doing my nightly run" The Intruder responded taking his attention off of her, not that the fact that her opponent wasn't taking her seriously _pissed her off or anything_ , she was too calm and collected for that anyway.

If a fool wants to underestimate her than she is obliged to let him, she would beat him and his into the ground lest his arrogance make him think he can approach Konoka so casually like he had before.

At the thought images from the previous week filtered in her head takin from her doll spirits point of few.

 _Unknown male and Konoka-Ojousama began what could be seen as a typical tour of the school grounds, unknown male made no advances on Ojousama and actually seemed to be paying attention, Ojousama laughed- points to the unknown male._

 _Unknown male would not, STOP, TOUCHING Ojousama, significant amount of points dropped for unknown male, Ojousama only smiled and laughed… points left alone for unknown male_

 _Konoka Ojousama hugged now known Tsunayoshi Sawada, How dare that CRIMINAL take advantage of HER Ojou's loving nature._

 _This INTRUDER is touching Ojou inappropriately, has he no concept of PERSONAL SPACE_

 _HE- THEY- T-T-THEIR K-K-K-KISS, HOW DARE HE ASSUALT HER OJOU'S INNOCENT LIPS_

"How could you have even found me, there was a barrier to protect anybody from stumbling inside?" Takahata-sensei asked, obviously continuing his previous inquiry, "In fact how did I not notice you?"

"You were very distracted" The Intruder deflected unabashed, "As for a barrier… I guess I just didn't notice it, ha, ha. Though I think I need a book or something about magic, or perhaps a helpful Welcome to the Mage World Packet. New Famiglia members get a pamphlet if they come from civilian homes."

"I'd suggest you check the magical section of the big library on-"

"You have pamphlets!?" Seruhiko-sensei interrupted, "No way, can I have one!?"

"Sure I always carry a f-"

"Excuse me!" Setsuna shouted, yes she interrupted a teacher, but she wasn't here to chat dammit, "I understand you have a lot to catch up on, but we're not here to trade informational packets"

' _Though I wouldn't mind getting my hands on one'_ part of her mind traitorously murmured, _'Did he say Famiglia, what is that, mob, mafia?'_

"Have your stupid male bonding later idiots" Kuzunoha-sensei thankfully came to her rescue, smacking Seruhiko and Takahata sensei in the back of the head.

"Woah Setsuna-chan snapped at a teacher" one of the small nuns 'whispered' to the child sized one

"Quite the temper that one" came the monotone answer

Setsuna's already grit teeth only grinded harder; she did not have a temper!

' _Though that first voice is somewhat familiar…'_

 _ **Bonk, Bonk**_

"Hush from the peanut gallery" the oldest nun admonished as the two smaller ones held their heads in obvious pain, "We are here as guest to observe the skills of two fighters."

"Sorry Sister Shakti/Sorry Sister"

With all noise from the audience taken care of Setsuna turned her head back to The Intruder, who hadn't even gotten into a fighting stance and had in fact even put his hands in his pocket as he faced her with an amused smile.

"Ready" he mocked

Setsuna didn't answer, rather she slipped into a steady stance before drawing her blade; she would have brought the wooden bokken, but after their last encounter it was clear she had to go straight for the real deal.

"Ready" she said coldly

There was a brief pause… then with _**Instant Movement**_ she was in his guard.

Distantly she was aware of somebody commenting on her knowing _Instant Movement_ already

She might have used the front of her blade, but she wasn't trying to kill him ( _not with so many witnesses anyway_ ); so slashing with the back of her blade she aimed for the side of his neck, a clear indication of her victory-

He dodged

He shouldn't have been able to; it was more like he bent his body at an incredibly impossible angle before flipping backwards putting distance between the two of them.

"Whew" he let out a fake breath at her near hit

But she wouldn't allow him to distract her with words and with another _Instant Movement_ she was on him.

The older teen twisted, stumbled, and swayed dodging and dancing around her strikes with a disturbing accuracy; even worse, throughout it all he'd yet to even remove his hands from his pockets an easy smile on his face.

"If I didn't know better I'd think you were trying to kill me" The Intruder chuckled in a frustratingly even voice, even as she picked up her speed "You've even stopped using the back of the blade."

Using a _Double Instant Movement_ , she dashed behind him before charging at unprotected back.

In a scarily hyper aware movement he suddenly back flipped over her blade, sticking his hand out he used the top of her head as a spring board and continued his flip several meters away from her, where he waited for her to turn around.

Setsuna gritted her teeth in frustration at seeing him standing there calmly waiting for her next move like he was watching a particularly interesting play.

Once more she charged, and launched herself at the young man; rather than slashing at him, she stopped just a little outside of her blade's reach and pouring Ki into her movement let loose an air strike.

A nearly invisible thin blade of wind caused by wind pressure and extreme force and control sliced towards her opponent.

She wasn't surprised when the man merely spun like a dancer avoiding the attack easily enough, rather she had counted on it.

One more Instant Movement and she was at his defenseless back, experience told her to use an overhead strike to keep him from jumping away, the fact that he was mid spin and shouldn't be able to even contemplate her attack at all was ignored.

Yuunagi's edge made it's way down towards his shoulder blade, his rapid turning insuring that the blade would slice across his chest as well-

Without even looking the brunette suddenly dropped down and lashed his foot out behind him in a blindingly quick move; rather than kick her in the gut where her own speed and momentum would have made for a devastating hit, he simply used the heel of his foot to hit the handle of her blade, forcing her strike off course.

Vastly off balance, she was unprepared for when he spun now facing her, leg somehow snaking around her arm

She was aware of a brief pain that hit as the leverage of his leg forced her arm in an awkward angle, then she was in the air with the brunette holding her with his legs doing a flip and then flinging her across the grass.

A decade of brutal training in some of the oddest circumstances allowed her to flip midair like a cat and just land on all fours, relatively unharmed.

When she looked up at her opponent her blood froze as she saw him kick a flash of shiny into his waiting hand.

Her sword, he had her sword

" _Yuunagi" her master instructed her holding said blade in front of her in all its simple elegance; it was not a blade made to look pretty, but cut it's master's enemies with brutal efficiency, much like her, "is a blade that has been passed down in my family for generations; it is specifically made for Shinmei Ryu Style, and has served me well over the years… I want you to have it."_

" _M-m-master I-I, to give something like this to someone like me-" she stuttered, it wasn't considered acceptable to stutter but this was just too much!_

" _If not you than who else Setsuna-kun, are you not my precious disciple?" her master asked in that way of his that said he was being deliberately coy, challenging her on his perceived view of her 'inferiority complex'._

" _B-but, I'm just a-, there are other students-" she tried to rebut_ reasonably _, and not out of any delusions of a lack of self-worth_

" _None of whom have pledged themselves to protecting my daughter as you have. This blade was created by my forefathers to protect the members of my family, will you not allow it to perform it's sole duty Setsuna-kun?" her master questioned quite unfairly_

 _She swallowed, unable to refuse this gift anymore without being disrespectful, so instead she dropped to her knees and bowed low_

" _I will use it to protect Konoka-Ojousama to the best of my abilities, thank you for gracing this one with so precious a tool Master!"_

" _Ha ha" the master laughed patting her head, "just don't lose it Setsuna-kun, I'll want it back when you're teaching my grandson or daughter."_

The teen in front of her was currently getting his dirty mitts on the weapon that Eishun-sama had bestowed on her!

Before she could do something foolish however like fly at him in a blind rage, his eyes met hers and he tossed the blade back

Blinking she caught it by the handle before it could touch the ground (though it would take far more than that to even scratch this blade) before giving him an incredulous look

"Why?" she asked, the action not meshing with the image she had of him, which admittedly wasn't much of one considering the only time she'd directly interacted with him was during her brief scuffle

"It's precious to you isn't it?" the brunette asked with a stupid smile and a tilt of his head, "I'm not a swordsman and I'm not such a jerk as to try and take your only weapon from you during a spar… though I would appreciate it if you brought it down a few notches with the blind stabbing."

Setsuna bristled at the implied insult of her skills-

Movements from the corner of her eye made her glance to the sidelines

One of the nuns had gripped her hands in a prayer like way, clearly on edge for her; the simple movement drew her to the rest of the teachers who were watching.

She met Kuzunoha-sensei's scowling face, but she wasn't angry- more concerned with Setsuna's behavior

' _Calm down'_ she chided herself, _'you don't have to like him, but Kuzunoha-sensei had acknowledged him as a possible threat. Get your head in the game, are you a swordsmen or a brute with a long knife.'_

Reluctantly taking her _opponent's_ advice, she took _a_ deep breath she reasserted her stance, this time she truly observed and faced her opponent as he was and not what her preconceptions painted him as.

Hands still frustratingly in his pockets, she saw the tense readiness in his shoulders; his feet were set apart in an a very relaxed version of a fighting stance, with his back foot even being slightly raised at the heel and his knees a touch bent ready to spring in a moment's notice, his eyes…

Behind a simple oblivious smile, unnaturally orange eyes **burned** into her own; looking- _tearing_ through any defenses with terrifying ease, measuring her, evaluating…

It suddenly occurred to her that she was a fool to buy into the mask of a clueless idiot

' _How does anybody not see this?_ ' she thought a touch hypocritically considering she herself hadn't picked up on his disturbingly aware eyes until just now, _'but then again I guess not everybody sees him analyzing you mid fight.'_

She didn't know whether she should take comfort in the fact that she wasn't currently being shamed by an idiot but rather by a cunning…something, or even more worried that someone who wasn't a mostly harmless pervert was hanging around her Ojou

' _With the Dean's permission'_ her mind saw fit to remind her; she needed to win this, she had to prove… well she wasn't sure what she had to prove, but she had to get him away from Konoka-Ojousama, _'If I make a good showing here, I prove he's not skilled enough to be left as a protection for her. Even if I don't win if I just prove he doesn't have the right character…'_

One more breath, she tightened her grip, she was ready.

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Tsuna was not ready

Dodging the young woman sword strike, he deliberately stepped into her guard keeping his lazy Imeitsu smile as he stopped his face not a few inches from her own.

The girl quickly back tracked, but Tsuna kept the same distance between the two of them preventing her from using her sword when he so close, using his elbows to keep her from rearranging her blade.

The sword truly was a simple instrument when it came down to it; a straight line capable of maneuvering in a finite amount of movements from various angles.

Setsuna quickly proved to be more than your average swordsman; with zero hesitation towards modesty she suddenly fell back towards the ground lifting her leg in a high kick that… well showed her… dedication to the spar.

Tsuna could block, but that would require him to break his silent handicap of using his hands so he instead stepped back and dodged; it was mistake.

With the new distance between the two of them Setsuna swiped her sword with ridiculous speed at his neck

He dodged of course, but she refused to let him breathe after that, and suddenly he was the one retreating as she dogged him using that _Instant Movement_ technique.

It was a fascinating if troubling technique typically used by Ki users that Tsuna encountered from time to time, that basically allowed a near instantaneous movement between two points by pumping a sudden burst of energy to the legs. A common technique amongst high level fighters since, unlike Mages and Mafiosi, Ki users were not hidden from the world at large unless they came from some secret clan with jealously guarded secret techniques.

' _I have no idea what to do'_ Tsuna thought as the girl forced him to jump up a tree, her blade slicing through wood like a hot knife through butter, _'She… really doesn't like me does she?'_

That was the risk of using the Iemitsu-Tsuna hybrid mask, there were too many people (Tsuna included) who found his old man utterly infuriating and though often written off as an idiot he could turn people off like nothing else.

Oddly enough, his father typically managed to endear himself to people just as good if not better than any other Sky; something in that balance of total idiocy with sparks of _terrifying_ seriousness that Tsuna hadn't (and admittedly refused) to mastered with his Iemitsu-Tsuna mask just pulled people to him.

The Setsuna girl had obviously gotten impatient in the two and a half seconds he'd been up in the tree and in a moment there was a flying wind blade cutting through the branch he was sitting on.

Rolling to the floor, Tsuna once more sprung up to kick the blade out of it's direct path towards his torso.

 _ **Overextended**_ his 'other' mind whispered, _**Strike Solar Plexus**_ it pinged the brief opening and weakness in her stance, Tsuna ignored it, instead choosing to wait until the girl regained herself for a following strike.

A moment later she did, and greeted him with narrowed eyes apparently acknowledging his lack of a follow up at her momentary weakness as some kind of arrogant pity on his part.

Tsuna internally sighed

This had been going on for almost ten minutes; while not a particular significant amount of time by any stretch of the imagination, the girl was clearly using her full (mostly non-lethal) strength and speed, and so had begun to sweat and pant somewhat profusely.

She was going to push herself till she collapsed; while an acceptable end for Tsuna's pride, really wouldn't help there slowly crumbling relationship.

' _This is probably where having experience in fights would have helped me'_ Tsuna still capable of sarcasm even as he narrowly avoided a blade, _'I would know how to put down a weaker opponent, or at least one who wasn't trying to kill me but still had hostility'_

Tsuna's education in the art of combat was more than a touch skewed, even for someone who was a part of the dangerous world of Cosa Nostra

His training hadn't begun until he was thirteen, what with him being the fourth (technically 5th) in line for Vongola's throne his education was not considered important; rather he'd been stashed away in the a civilian town in Japan to grow up peacefully, a last minute gamble to be called upon should the bloodline ever be in danger.

At the time the quality of his physical training had been somewhat forsaken skill wise in exchange for pumping him up raw power, his tutor needed him to be strong _quick_ to survive and defend his right to be the Vongola Heir.

At that point he was all Flame Power, using his V.G.I to spot weaknesses in his opponents and pure speed to avoid too much damage. After his first couple of real battles (with his own future guardian and adopted uncle at that) and pulling victories by the skin of his teeth, it would have been the time to sit him down and get some real training in.

Unfortunately less than a week after the latter battle he'd been thrown into a situation of apocalyptic levels of danger; complete with opponents who had more than 10 years advanced experience, technology, and weapons, 10x intelligence, 10x Flames, _100x_ the manpower, and 1,000x the mental instability.

Once more Tsuna's instructors focused on loading him up with new weapons and jamming him with the most power in the shortest amount of time possible through a training regime so brutal that he'd needed Sun Flames every night just to patch him up for the next morning. If his teachers hadn't literally been the best in the entire world at what they did, neither he nor his friends would have survived.

As it was, Tsuna had no set style or techniques, learning instead essentially how to 'fight'; how to time an attack, how to maneuver in the air, how to take a hit, how to get up and keep going, how to read your opponent, how to land a solid hit without wasting movement.

Again and again more and more powerful opponents crawled out of the wood work to challenge Tsuna and his friends, with little to no time to rest in between. This made them very strong very fast, but it also made them somewhat glass cannons with no concept of many of the subtler arts that made the difference between quality and quantity

By the time Tsuna was fifteen, he had the power to blow up a mountain, the intuition to dodge strikes with his eyes closed, and the ability to fight of a street brawler who'd taken one or two classes of self-defense at his local community center. It was a vastly unbalanced system

His teachers sought to rectify this; using a favor unwillingly (on Tsuna's part) owed to him by the **Storm Arcobaleno** , **Fon** , Tsuna was trained in the use of the ancient and deadly arts of Chinese Kempo.

It was the second most hellish thing he'd ever endured; Fon may be easy going and relaxed, but he was an uncompromising task master when it came to training.

So why was he having such problems dealing with Setsuna?

A blade came falling from the sky as the girl in question _jumped_ at him and was using her momentum from the fall to increase the speed of her fall.

Tsuna dodged to the left but Setsuna merely pushed up from the ground in an impressive follow up strike; Tsuna, caught off guard, reacted on instinct catching the flat of her blade with his foot

Then using it as a foot hold, pushed off it and swung an axe kick that would have cracked her skull if she hadn't obviously been trained by Ancient Kung-Fu monks who taught her how to bend her body like a blade of grass and avoid it.

That, that right there was where he had problems; Tsuna unlike his friends never found joy in fighting or the mystical thrill of battle the way others had, but despite being the least blood thirsty in his little group of friends, despite hating fighting, despite having some of the smallest training time…

Tsuna had the most problem holding back

Even Kyoya who sent people to the E.R simply for being mildly annoying was better at holding back; Kyoya could at least say he was doing it on purpose, if he wasn't they'd be dead, Tsuna really just didn't know his own strength.

If Setsuna was a less skilled opponent he could simply give a simple chop to the back of the head and knock her out cold; he was used to fighting opponents at only two levels, ridiculously strong and terribly weak, but with a weapon that made them think they were strong. This here in the middle was really not Tsuna's forte, he was already doing his best with the not using his hands.

It didn't help that though Fon was a martial artist at heart, the man was an assassin by profession; peaceful by nature, Fon still practiced and more importantly _taught_ Satsujinken techniques made specifically for killing.

"Your very good Setsuna-chan" he complimented in the most genuine tone he could, once again she narrowed her eyes and apparently eyed his lack of exertion as proof he was insulting her, ' _It's always the Storms, so prideful'_

"I think this spar is getting a little lengthy though don't you think, perhaps we can meet up at a later time and continue." Tsuna attempted to reason, though he knew it wouldn't do much

"Very well, we will finish this is the next few bouts" she returned and Tsuna internally wept, this girl wasn't going to let it go.

' _I don't want to hurt you dammit!'_ Tsuna wailed, he really didn't; to Tsuna there were few bonds more precious than the one between a teacher and student, giving one of his students a beating a week or so before he actually started teaching would no doubt put a serious strain on their relationship.

Losing wasn't an option; even if he could somehow fake it, it was a terrible disrespect to both of them, and even if she had the skill to do it, it wouldn't be helpful for her image of him.

Winning wasn't much of an option either; ignoring the fact that he didn't know how to win without hurting her, it would only make their deteriorating situation that much worse.

' _I need to show her how pointless this is'_ Tsuna thought even as he fell out of his ready posture making her pull up and eye him warily, _'I don't want to hurt her so I won't, but she needs to stop'_

No choice for it

He had to scare her

"Setsuna-chan, I think you've lost sight of the purpose of this spar" Tsuna said in a dry tone, which was pretty much a lie since this spar was always about pride, "If you continue in this vein we'll be out here all day, unless we decide to do something unsportsman like."

"You haven't lifted a finger once in this fight" Setsuna countered, "If anything you refusing to take this spar seriously is what's dragging it on, do you have no respect for me as an opponent?"

"…So you _want_ me to come at you with intent to… harm?" Tsuna asked with a tilt of his head, making sure she was one hundred percent aware of what she was asking for before he put her in her place.

"If you can" she retorted, not cocky but definitely goading

In that moment all emotion wiped itself from his face, replaced by the cold fire of Vongola Decimo

"Very well" he said in an apathetic voice, removing his hands from his pockets and crouching into the stance that had been beaten into his body night and day

One arm raised up by his head, the other at his waist, fingers parsed in a way that might resemble a three digit reptile, one leg slightly raised bent at the knee, body low and coiled.

The stance Fon used before his most devastatingly quick techniques

From the corner of his eye he noted the weariness of the observers in his sudden change of demeanor; he would have sent an appeasing smile to let them know he wasn't going to hurt anybody, but he couldn't let her know that.

It was cost some of his harmless bunny act, but as long as it was only for a little while they'd chalk it up to some weird Mafia personality disorder thing. Which technically wasn't too off- he knew how different he could be when his eyes glowed an orange on orange like so.

They'd have to see it at some point, better a small taste here so they wouldn't doubt his capability elsewhere.

There was a beat as Setsuna stared at him, she adjusted her grip on her blade, made to take a step…

And he was on top of her

In a move that probably looked like _Instant Movement_ to an outside observer, he _glided_ towards her, hand in motion to strike her down, stopping just a millisecond slower than he tagged her capable of reacting.

As it was he felt a bit of her cloth tear as she dodged his strike with an _Instant Movement._

Following through with the movement he sunk his fingers into the ground, clenching his hand in the earth

 _ **Dragon's Claw**_

With the tiniest exhale of force he _ripped_ a clod of earth and rock up from the ground the size of a full grown man.

If he wasn't being all merciless monster right now he might have laughed at the wide incredulous eyes of the audience, as it was he might have lost it as the smaller nun yelled a surprised sanctimonious 'Holy Shit'

But he had no time for that, he couldn't allow his opponent even one second of breath, and so chucked the massive clod like a baseball at her wide panicked eyes.

" _ **Zanganken-Ni-no-Tachi!"**_ without warning a blade of wind cut through the boulder and continued careening towards him.

' _Stone cutting strike?'_ he thought distantly even as he struck his own hand down in a vertical slash countering the wind blade with the contemptuous ease of one swatting a fly, _'How appropriate'_

He stayed on her like a rabid predator refusing to allow her anytime to breath

A deliberately missed kick to the head tore through the bark of the tree he'd backed her against, constantly showing his power and the difference of their levels.

As she dodged he gripped her shirt, momentarily switching to the military grappling style of COMSUBIN he'd been taught by Lal, turning and throwing her with a brute strength that would have left some heavy bruises had she not bent her legs at an awkward angle stopping the force of the throw.

As it was she'd lost her sword in the spin of the toss, and it would be an easy thing to strike her in the chest

Instead he let her drop softly to the ground, dramatically raising his foot over her face as he channeled his internal flames down to his leg, specifically at a point on his heel.

 _ **Focus Stomp**_

Setsuna rolled out the way as his foot left a cracked indent in the ground, but she couldn't get up in time before his knee was at her gut

Or at least that may be how it appeared, his flames still removing some of his body's natural limiters around his leg muscles, he stopped his knee just short of hitting her, the air pressure launching her into the air.

It was here that he finally decided to end this hunt

Tsuna had never really been one capable of releasing killing intent unless he was beyond pissed. Even the few times he'd made up his mind to use lethal force; he was usually too bogged down by sorrow.

One of several of Tsuna's much hated and embarrassingly dramatic 'nicknames' was the **Weeping Angel of Death** for his habit of crying even for his enemies.

As it was, killing intent or no killing intent, Tsuna was still a boss in the mafia world; not being able to intimidate his enemies was a major drawback; Reborn had realized Tsuna would never be capable of doing such things naturally, so instead focused on other strengths of Tsuna's in order to put his enemies off balance.

No, Tsuna couldn't use killing intent, but he could use Vongola Hyper Intuition

As he drew back his hand as if to strike the ascending Setsuna, he allowed his orange on orange eyes to meet her own… and saw pure unadulterated fear cross her expression

Hyper Intuition, the ability to perceive information typically invisible to most or simply the power to 'see through all things'; Tsuna was aware it was disturbing for people to meet his eyes for any extended length of time as he tore into the persons reading every tick and twitch from their bodies. It made them feel exposed, defenseless, vulnerable even.

During a middle of a fight, when faced by an overwhelming opponent who _saw_ you, all that you were, all of your weaknesses, all of your fears, everything you hide from the world around you on a daily basis… and dismissed it apathetically, it could be _very_ fear inducing indeed.

Dragon claw hands struck at her with blinding speed, and the girl flinched in preparation of pain, Tsuna obliged.

' **Poke'**

"I win"

There was a beat as the girl simply stared at him, eyes wide, mouth falling open in shock as she unconsciously rubbed her forehead.

"W-what?" the poor thing asked confused

"Huh?" Tsuna could hear from the peanut gallery

"You said we could stop the spar if I landed one hit" he said with a happy oblivious smile like he didn't know he hadn't just taken her to task before scaring the hell out of her, he even gave her forehead a second poke for emphasis, "I 'lifted a finger' and landed the first hit, so I win"

"…" shocked stare

"…" oblivious stare

"…" more shocked stare

"…" confused bunny appearing from nowhere with flopped ear

"…" more shocked stare than has ever been stared

"…Um… are you alright" he asked a little nervously, he didn't go too far did he, "I didn't flick you hard enough to shut down your brain did I?"

With all the weirdos he'd met in his life, he wouldn't be surprised if she had such eccentrics, honestly her whole ancient loyal samurai persona that she had going on was kind of out there already

' _Still not as bad as Varia'_ Tsuna thought of the in office meme that had somehow or another spread around when dealing with crazy psychos; Tsuna was sure that the guy who started it didn't accidently trip and shoot himself like Xanxus said.

"Y-you" she said limply pointing at him still apparently not all there yet

"Me?" Tsuna and the illusion bunny tilted their heads at the same time

"Poked me" still not a sentence, but she was doing better, so he hadn't shut her down at least

"Well what else was I supposed to do?" Tsuna questioned, being pretty genuine about the question, "You're to be my student, I'm supposed to protect and guide you. I couldn't hurt you for some silly misunderstandings and petty pride."

At her questioning look, he leaned in and whispered so the rest of the audience who were no doubt eavesdropping wouldn't hear.

"Me and Konoka were messing around because we knew someone was watching, there was no kissing or philandering going on." He said

"…Oh" Setsuna got out, with a glance to the line of teachers behind them, the girl suddenly turned back looking more than a little embarrassed.

"It's fine" Tsuna said in his regular understanding tone giving her a comforting back rub, deciding she'd had enough and didn't need to deal with Iemitsu-Tsuna, "We all do crazy things when we think the ones we love are in danger; you aren't the first that's tried to gut me for my family's reputation, you won't be the last."

"Your family?" she asked sounding confused

'Wait if she didn't know about the Vongola why was she attacking me so viciously' Tsuna thought with a raised eyebrow

"I mean yes, your family, that's why I got upset" she suddenly covered, suspicious but he'd let it go

"Like I said, it's fine" he checked his watch, he needed to get to the store soon if he didn't want another depressing bachelor dinner of cereal and toast, "We'll be seeing each other a lot over the next few weeks, we have all the time in the world to get to know each other."

Taking a step back he gave her a respectful bow, thanking her for the spar

It took a moment but she bowed back

Upon reaching the others he was met by Seruhiko-sensei geeking out

"Damn that was cool!" Seruhiko met him halfway, "Instant Movements back to back to back, and at your ages, hell I didn't even get that till I graduated high school, then again I've always been more of a tactician, but that ripping the ground up with just your hands man-!"

"It was impressive, Chinese kempo?" Nijiun asked coming up cutting off his excitable friend, Tsuna wasn't surprised when Kuzunoha and the nuns cheering for Setsuna didn't greet him instead going straight to Setsuna.

"Something like that" he answered, "a few other picked up moves thrown in for added flavor th-What the frack happened to you!"

He couldn't help it; Takamichi joined the rest of them with what appeared to be a rapidly healing bruise on his cheek.

"You did" Takamichi answered, then at his questioning look he smiled and elaborated, "Your last move on Setsuna-kun, we all saw the flash of fear on her face and Kuzunoha moved to intercept before I got in her way."

Oh. Well that was a dodged bullet; if he suddenly felt something coming at him from his blind spot with significant speed and killing intent he would have reacted… possibly fatally.

Judging by the conciliatory nod Takamichi discreetly sent him, he knew- Tsuna owed him one.

"I'll treat you and Shizuna to the first round when we go out next Saturday." Tsuna offered

"Rounds" Seruhiko popped in at that sound of free booze, "You guys going out, when did this happen, and why weren't we invited."

"Earlier this week and he didn't even know who you were Seruhiko" Takamichi answered with a smile as he put a cigarette in his mouth

Tsuna narrowed his eyes, and plucked it from the man's mouth to his surprise

"You've already had two the hours I've seen you today, anymore and it's a vice" he scolded, he'd gone through the same thing when trying to get Hayato to quit back in middle school

Takamichi gave him an 'Are you serious' look, which though not positive was better than that fake smile he had started to tote when answering Seruhiko's question

Tsuna hated fake smiles

"Pfft" Seruhiko snorted, "You got in trouble~"

Takamichi rolled his eyes, but he didn't reach for another cigarette

"Finals are next Friday, we can go out Friday night to celebrate" Takamichi said instead, "And since when was Shizuna coming."

"I already told you two men drinking alone is depressing" Tsuna answered back, "Shizuna looks nice and like she'd enjoy a night out, I'd say bring Kuzunoha but…"

At that moment the women in the group walked by, Kuzunoha made sure to greet him and Takamichi both with cold looks. All four men shivered.

"Yeah I got it" Takamichi said with a sigh running his hand through his hair, "Friday?"

"Friday" he confirmed, "Seruhiko sensei, Nijuin Sensei, it was a pleasure meeting you.

"You as well Sawada/Just call me Kenichi, Tsuna we're close in age" they answered

Tsuna smiled and began his walk to the store; he was feeling chicken teriyaki tonight

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Crouched in a tree several hundred yards away, a lovely young woman watched her target through the scope of her rifle.

"That was certainly interesting" Mana Tatsumiya said aloud, she'd never seen Sakurazaki toyed with like that by someone so similar in age, "I don't think I could beat him without going all out and even then…"

 _The brunette rubbed the back of her classmate in a conciliatory manner, turning her towards the line of other onlookers_

 _Orange eyes glowed as they looked directly at her hiding spot_

 _Her heart stopped for a moment, there was no way, there was no way-_

 _The brunette smirked then turned away_

"I have a feeling he'd be quite the scary opponent for more reasons than just his strength"

" _I want you to keep an eye on a certain guest to the school Tatsumiya-taichou" the Chinese exchange student said with her usual mischievous grin, "He's a little different, but I think he could become an important benefactor to a project I'm working on. He's quite the eccentric one, so don't be surprised if he does something that scares you."_

 _She internally rolled her eyes at the thought of anything scaring her with the demons in her closet_

" _As long as you pay my usual fees Chao-san, I'm free to check in on this V.I.P of yours from time to time." she answered in her usual cool tone_

 _To her bemusement the girl burst into laughter,_

" _Of course, of course, I always do don't I Taichou" Chao Lingshen said with a smile, but as she turned to exit the shrine her smile became just a touch darker, "Who knows, maybe the day will come when I don't even have to pay you to want to follow him."_

 _And with those somewhat ominously toned words, the girl skipped out with a happy whistle_

' _Strange girl' she thought_

Her conclusion hadn't changed of her classmate, even if she did find her target more interesting than she thought there was no way she was going to suddenly start seeking him out for free; it's not like he had some magnetic force that drew people to him or something like that.

Her classmate was such a strange girl

 **A/N:** Aaaaaaaaand Done! No he still hasn't met up with the rest of the class, but your patience will be rewarded; next chapter Tsuna gets introduced to the class, though actual interaction probably won't happen till chapter seven.

 **Spoiler** : He's already met one of the girl's before coming to Mahora, can you guess which?

 **Date:** Its hell of difficult to pin down the actual dates of Negima considering weeks pass between chapters in the beginning and the Japanese school semesters are different than my uncultured American life's. First Term: April-July, Summer Vacation: July-September, Second Term: September-December, Third Term: January-March

However I think I've more or less figured out that Negi comes in at the end of their Second YEAR at the beginning (or for this story midway) through second SEMESTER, hence the reference to finals. The Kyoto trip happens in winter like January or something

 **Tsuna:** I know his character seems all over the place, but I'll try to flesh it out more in the story; for now here are some basics.

 **The 'Real' Tsuna** is the guy shown during chapter 2 when he's around his family or by himself in chapter 3; relaxed, if heavily burdened by responsibility, with a bit of a snarky mischievous streak, who loves wholeheartedly and gets his feelings hurt by the rejection of his little brother.

 **The Tsuna that Negi, Konoka, and Takamichi see** ; more faux laidback than actually relaxed to give off an aura of confidence and reliability, he smiles a lot and is caring, but holds back all the range of emotions he shares with his family. This will be the face most of 3-A gets to see.

 **Vongola Decimo** ; an inhuman untouchable mask and possible split personality Tsuna has crafted to deal with the Mafia, he's the 'cold fire', that's said to be empty and brutally practical where Tsuna is usually to kind; but he's still Tsuna not some cold blooded killer. I love writing a scary Tsuna the most, because I have to find new ways to make him scary without breaking Tsuna's soft hearted character(no killing intent- so scaring people by using V.H.I to look into their hearts)

 **Iemitsu-Tsuna that everybody else sees** ; Tsuna's way of annoying people while also coming off as harmless as possible; taken from his own father's mask of cheerful idiocy, but less obnoxious.

 **Until next time J.T. Tales signing out**


	6. Interlude: Storm Settles in the Sky

**Meeting Tsuna: An OMAKE series**

 **Hayato Gokudera**

When Hayato was just barely three years old he was introduced to the piano; Hayato loved the piano, he loved the sound, the feeling of the keys beneath his fingertips, he loved the way people would drift into the room just to listen to his small concerts.

Most of all though, he loved the woman who taught him; Lavina Gokudera, a lovely Japanese-Italian woman and the only other person he'd ever met that shared his odd silver hair.

She held him close as she taught him the keys and always had an encouraging word or smile for him. A sort of light entered the large and cold feeling mansion he'd grown up in whenever she'd come around.

Even Hayato's father, a wealthy overworked businessman, was affected by it; the man was always loosened up and in a good mood when the lovely pianist came to their home.

Hayato did not know much of what it was like to have a mother considering his own lived on the other side of the country in her own mansion, and even when she did visit would rarely acknowledge his existence.

Hayato loved his teacher all the more because of it and sometimes, just sometimes, he liked to pretend that being with her was what others felt like when they were around their mothers.

Every year after giving him his beginning lessons she would return on his birthday and listen to the song he'd composed; in the weeks leading up to his birthday Hayato would practice day and night in hopes of seeing his teacher's face light up in pride.

When Hayato was seven years old his teacher did not show up; his father's face had been distracted and worried the entire day, then just before he went to bed his father called him into his office and told him in a cold tone that his teacher was dead, fatal car accident.

There was no more light in Hayato's home after that

He's eight the first time someone calls him a bastard to his face.

A fairly serious insult in Cosa Nostra; in the mafia one's life was determined by who held the most power; and power came from Flames, and Flames came from the blood. To call someone a bastard was to paint a target over them; it not only violated their rather sanctimonious Catholic beliefs, but it also outed you as someone who was a potential threat to a very old power system.

If your mother was the adulteress, it could mean that she was trying to slip in an heir from another bloodline, it had certainly happened before. If one's father was the one who had broken his sacred vows, it could mean that he was dissatisfied with his current heirs and any older siblings could be at risk of having their birthrights overlooked.

Since people didn't typically _like_ that, bastards whether they were result of love, lust, or cold planning were typically seen as threats to be hated and despised; the catholic faith's own discouragement of adultery allowed it so that one's very soul and character could be question and deemed lesser because of it.

He doesn't understand at first, but he's far from stupid. Other than their eyes which come from their father, he and his sister hardly look alike. He sees the woman who is supposedly his mother only during the holidays when she returns from the other estate; and he knows his parents don't love each other in the slightest. It's not even the first time his birth has been put into question and he's grown up his whole life hearing whispers of the maids and visiting Famiglia.

Gritting his teeth Hayato practices the piano and bares it

When Hayato was still eight years old his sister discovered a love of cooking and decided to give her precious little brother the fruits of her labor in hopes of cheering him up. Unfortunately, his sister has something wrong with her either mentally or Flame wise because everything she touches turns to poison. A combination of love for his sister and fear of what she'll do to the next helpless victim makes him swallow the semi lethal concoctions.

He tries to tell his father once, but the day of one his piano recitals comes up distracting him. Bianchi feeds him some poisonous cookies just before his recital for good luck; it's the best he's ever played, and it gains the attention of some national critics.

After that his father has his sister feed him before every performance, private or otherwise, and shows him off like a prized mare to all of his well to do business associates. Weeks, months, and years of stomach abuse does two things to Hayato; one, he gains an increasingly higher resistance to the various poisons his sister uses in her cooking, and two, he now has a Pavlov's Dog reaction to his sister's face and the piano.

He can't look at either of the two very few things in the world he loves without feeling horrendously sick. He tries for both, but his love for the instrument that reminds him of his precious teacher all but diminishes; his sister and her awkward ways of expressing love only drive a wedge in their relationship.

Hayato misses Lavina whose love isn't poisonous like his sisters or manipulative like his father's and is certainly existent unlike his mother's.

When Hayato is nine years old he meets Trident Shamal, an incredible doctor and former A-list hitman.

The man has come to instruct Bianchi on how to use her "gifts", it's clear that the girl has no hope of living a regular life outside of the mafia, and those with special gifts especially Mutated Flames like her poisonous Storm Flames are rare and hunted down viciously.

Shamal is the coolest man he's ever met and Hayato follows and begs the man to take him under his wing. For reasons Hayato doesn't understand for years the man only puts up a small fight and throws college level textbooks at him; a hitman can't be stupid he says, and Hayato dives into studying chemical equations, mathematics, and geographical terrains with a fury.

Hayato passes every test the hitman lazily tosses him, desperate to prove himself to somebody; his self-worth hasn't been too high and Hayato longs for a teacher like Lavina once was.

Shamal sees this desperation, this obsession; he sees how little Hayato cares about his own safety and life. Honestly why would he, with so many others constantly belittling him for the crime of merely being born, a sister who constantly nearly kills him which not only does nobody stop but is actively approved of by their father.

Shamal doesn't like it and ends their training without telling Hayato why, becoming just another person who has abandoned him.

When Hayato is ten he finally hears the story of what happened to Lavina; her car swerved off the road while on the way to visit him, her birthday gift in the car. There was no other traffic or conditions, and her death is incredibly suspicious to say the least. The mafia grunts Hayato is eavesdropping off of laugh that Old Man Giannino, finally tied up loose ends with that clingy mistress of his.

Hayato is not stupid; he has rare silver hair, Lavina had silver hair, he has a Japanese name, Lavina is half Japanese, he is called a bastard, his "mother" hates his existence, Lavina was only allowed to visit him on his birthday.

Conclusion: Lavina was his mother, his _mother_ is _dead_ , his father probably ordered his mother dead.

It's the final straw for the passionate young boy

Hayato leaves the mansion that night; he abandons his father's name and takes Lavina's. Hayato Esposito, piano prodigy and son of the Rossi Family dies, Hayato Gokudera, street rat, and aspiring hitman is born in the back streets of Southern Italy.

 _()()()_

Hayato is twelve years old the first time he kills a man; his life on the streets has been hard and for the first few weeks the other street rats are capable of apparently smelling the rich pretty boy on him.

Older kids take advantage of him, and he almost dies twice in the first month, and nearly gets arrested three times if he wasn't such a good scrapper.

Even still he's not completely hopeless, he's still a mafia kid, he still knows where all the backroom deals happen and who to talk to for a weapon, he's been watching it for his entire life and he was once the apprentice of _the_ Trident Shamal after all.

And yet it's not enough, when he tries to join the bigger Famiglia he gets turned out in a heartbeat; too young, too inexperienced, reckless at best, suicidal at worst, his years on the streets has given him an iron shell that barely protects the soft emotional little wreck he is on the inside and no one wants to deal with the little hot head.

After the major Famiglia reject him, the lower ones follow suit, their reasons nowhere near as fair. His name makes it obvious he's a half breed mutt, at one point he gets into a fight and it comes out that he's the bastard child of some rich Mafioso, then absolutely _no one_ wants him.

Temperamental, suicidal bastard half breed mutt becomes his official title for the better part of two years.

He grits his teeth and endures; he finds jobs where he can, and he performs them above and beyond the necessary, he makes sure people know his work is freaking Quality, he trains, he gets stronger, he plans smarter, he slowly makes a name for himself.

'Smoking Bomb' Hayato they call him, he's still small time, but people have begun to take notice, begun to take heed of him. It may sound good on paper but Hayato know better, he knows he's living on borrowed time.

People don't take kindly to having unknown _reckless_ elements running around unchecked, elements who show no form of loyalty ( _even if it's not his fault nobody wants him_ ), elements who are young and brash and it's only a matter of time before they start mucking around in your interests.

He's thirteen the first time he fends off another hitman; apparently, he's spent too much time near the docks and the people running businesses there don't want some little upstart runt messing around with their delicate operations.

The man they send after him is huge, closer to seven feet than six, a monster with _actual_ combat experience and isn't just a body builder in a suit. He underestimates Hayato do to his age and Hayato barely manages to punch a piece if dynamite in his mouth and past broken teeth as the Neanderthal is picking him up to break his spine against the wall.

As Hayato washes the blood off in a nearby quarry, he wonders how long he has left in this cruel world; frustrated despairing tears fall from his face as he stares into the evening sky and for the first time in his life prays to someone for a miracle.

Not two weeks later his prayer is answered; Reborn the GREATEST hitman in the freaking WORLD gives him a call on his cell phone ( _never mind how the Arcobaleno got his personal information when he's almost paranoid careful about keeping his work phone calls separate from his never used personal phone_ ).

The man-child-creature? - has a proposition for him, a chance to be accepted by a Famiglia-no, not just any Famiglia, _The Vongola_. Hayato nearly drops the phone and tries not to stutter as he asks what he would have to do.

As it turns out the request is fairly simple, the Vongola has an heir that was raised in a civilian lifestyle away from the mafia for security reasons that are none of Hayato's business; the boy is thirteen ( _Hayato's age_ ) the age where most mafia kids start to make their first tentative ventures into the underworld no matter how unimportant those ventures are.

The boy needs to be tested, he needs to start creating his own family, he'll need someone of reasonable skill with experience and knowledge of their world, and they must be able to speak Japanese which Hayato had learned for his precious Lavina.

Hayato expects there's more to it than that and asks the burning question at the forefront of his mind, why him? Yes, he fits all those criteria, but he's… he's…

 _Half breed, bastard mutt, temperamental brat, street scum, pretty little rich boy_

The answer does not fill him entirely with confidence; simply put he was recommended by one of Reborn's close friends, his old teacher Shamal. Hayato does not know how to feel about the man who left him without question four years and a lifetime ago, but he accepts nonetheless. The next morning he's on a flight to Japan with a file in his lap on one Tsunayoshi Sawada.

 _()()()_

Hayato is… not impressed to say the least; he's never seen an individual who fails so hard at life in general; last in his class academically and physically, socially he might be even worse than the friendless Hayato who at least has the grudging respect of those he works with.

Hayato wonders if this is all a joke, yet another humiliation for the half breed bastard.

Upon interacting for the first time Hayato acts like a bully; intimidating, pushing around, glaring down at the slightly younger boy who makes no attempt to hide how frightened he is of Hayato, it's pathetic really, just how much emotion passes through those doe eyes.

Hayato does not like looking at those eyes, having them look into him, they remind him of-

 _Sad, lonely, warm, loving eyes-_

He shakes his head, it doesn't matter he has a job to do

When it comes time for the actual physical test, a fight between him and the young heir, Hayato can hardly bring himself to pretend to care about the outcome. It's so obvious he'll win that it _almost_ doesn't seem worth it to put up the act, but he can feel the cool eyes of the World's Greatest Hitman on his back and remembers this is as much a test for him as the boy and decides to give it his all.

To his surprise the boy manages to defuse his bombs mid fight, and Hayato finds just a sparkle of intrigue and begins to put some real effort into the fight. Again, and again the boy diffuses his bombs while also refusing to land a hit on Hayato himself; in one last ploy Hayato uses a reckless move that he's hardly practiced and unsurprisingly loses control.

He's going to die; surprisingly he's not afraid, bitter and resigned yes, but not afraid. His life held little meaning and he knows he was living on borrowed time anyway; instead he closes his eyes and waits to see his beloved Lavina again.

Only for the boy he was fighting to make a dive towards the _about to explode_ bombs diffusing them, saving Hayato's life at risk to his own. Then as soon as the danger passes and the two of them are panting on the ground trying to come to terms with the fact that they both just nearly _exploded_ , the boy looks at him with those doe eyes and asks him if _he's_ alright.

Him, as if Hayato hadn't just been ( _as far as he knew_ ) trying to kill him, Hayato who is some foreigner who's been treating him like crap for the past eight hours, like Hayato is… is…

 _A woman with silver hair and sad but beautiful blue eyes stares down at him with a proud smile as she guides his fingertips across white keys_

Like Hayato is just another person that is worthy of being cared about, simply for being himself

In that one moment Hayato sees the one thing he's craved for since he was seven years old, a family; one that wouldn't use him, one that wouldn't hurt him intentionally or otherwise, one that wouldn't abandon him to his own stupidity.

And on top of that Tsunayoshi Sawada _needs_ him, Hayato has seen the world, he knows the kind of people out there, who won't hesitate to take advantage of this pathetically weak but so immeasurably strong little creature in front of him.

Hayato Gokudera sees not just a Famiglia, but a family, a family that needs him.

He doesn't hesitate to bow his head to his new boss

"I WAS MISTAKEN, YOU ARE THE ONE FIT TO BE THE BOSS"

The boy, _his boss please be his boss_ , stares at him startled and Hayato feels foolish and hopeful and sick all at once.

"Um, I don't need any subordinates Gokudera-san" _this is it, he blew it, he shouldn't have tried so hard in this simple test, who would want a temperamental pun_ -, "How about we be friends instead?"

Snapped out of his spiraling thoughts, Hayato looks up into concerned burnt orange eyes; weary of his rejection

This amazing little one thinks _Hayato_ will reject _him_

"NO, I MUST CALL YOU TENTH"

The tenth looks shocked at his sudden explanation, but he _must_

Hayato knows what it's like to have that lack of self-worth that should not be shining so obviously in the eyes of such a wonderful person like the young heir Tenth; friends come and go, Right Hands stay forever.

And that's what Hayato will be, he'll be the greatest right hand that ever was

 _()()()_

There are mistakes made; Tenth is not so comfortable around him in the beginning, and Hayato still has all the problems that made him rejected by the older Famiglia and he sometimes causes more problems for the Tenth than he does solutions.

He causes massive property damage with his paranoia and trigger-happy temper

He embarrasses the Tenth in public by sometimes forgetting the filter on his mouth

He gets into arguments with the others who become drawn to Tenth's simple but beautiful warmth; jealous and insecure of his place by his boss' side.

The worst is during the fight with Gamma; he nearly gets him and the baseball idiot killed when he refuses to work together with him against a clearly superior opponent and Takeshi nearly kills himself dragging them both out.

But the Tenth doesn't push him away, he _never_ pushes Hayato away; sometimes he'll give Hayato a look like he's questioning his sanity, sometimes he'll look at Hayato's messes like he wants to crawl into a hole and die, and Hayato feels like the worst scum of the Earth to put such expressions on this tiny helpless angel's shoulders and he'll wonder why he even bothers.

Then Tenth will look at him and smile, like he doesn't care what hell they're in, just that Hayato is beside him.

Then Tenth will frown and look lost and panicked if he can't see Hayato by him for more than a few minutes at a time.

Then Tenth will get _angry_ , the boy who forgives mass murderers for trying to kill him will get **angry** , because Hayato has said or done something that makes apparent his own lack of self-worth.

And Hayato will feel selfish and decide he can't help but want to burden this angel with his worthless presence, for just a little longer…

 _()()()_

Years pass and Hayato has mellowed; he no longer strives to prove himself worthy of being in Tsuna's presence, he knows Tsuna hates that, so Hayato just stays by his side steady and reliable.

He has an understanding with his father and learned that his mother's death truly was the tragic accident it was reported as; his parents really did love each other

He has an understanding with the other guardians and instead of viewing them as obstacles in his duty to Tsuna, he has stepped up and become the leader he is meant to be, bonding on the one thing they all have in common.

He no longer flies off the handle for every little thing and has learned to express his disapproval with a cold intimidating stare. The fury he unleashes now makes his previous rages look like a cute sparkler next to an erupting volcano.

He even sometimes plays the piano, as long as it's for Tsuna

He understands Tsuna better than he ever had before and the two of them are so a part of each other that Tsuna has admitted that it feels wrong to think of Hayato as a separate entity at all.

So, he sees the toll the new responsibilities are having on him, and does everything he can to lift that burden.

So when the Ninth comes to him with a plan to take his boss away from him for the better part of a year, he alone doesn't fly off the handle; he privately gathers the guardians, _explains_ to them just how badly Tsuna has been pushing himself for them and how badly he needs this rest, and an hour later when Tsuna tells them about the trip- he and the guardians show the appropriate surprise, and nothing but wholehearted acceptance.

So, when he gets home from an airport in Scandinavia, he and his girlfriend put the others to task; their boss' absence will not be an excuse for their operations to fall apart.

So, after letting Tsuna have the first few days in his new assignment to himself, a second private meeting of the guardians is called.

Hayato knows Tsuna better than he knows himself, so he knows their Sky cannot survive on his own without at least one of them by his side; Lambo and Fuuta will be leaving to infiltrate his place in Japan on Wednesday for the initial inspection of Tsuna's life now that he's had appropriate time to let his guard down about their possible antics. After their initial findings, Hayato would organize the guardians and decide how they will intrude on Tsuna's assignment ( _for his own good, of course_ ).

Because that's what a Right Hand did for their boss

Because Tsuna was worth it

 **Hayato Gokudera will make an important cameo in the next chapter.**

 **Just an Experiment, if people tell me they like it I'll sprinkle the other guardians' stories in before their cameos, if not I'll take it down and… I don't know, find another story to slip it in?**

 **I always kind of hated the instant loyalty Tsuna's friends' show him, until I tried to think of it from their perspectives. Turns out their meetings would be** _ **pretty**_ **heavily impactful in real life, Tsuna's POV is just unreliable because he doesn't get why people would** _ **want**_ **to hang out with him.**


	7. Chapter 6 Inner Circle

**Disclaimer:** **See chapter 1**

 **Chapter 6 Inner Circle**

"Alright Regulas, we're here what do you need us for." Kensuke Mochida asked somewhat uncharitably as he waltzed into Vongola Tenth Generation's Meeting Room.

In fairness to him he hadn't gotten much of any sleep during his work trip to America this last week; being told last minute to change his flight to Italy instead of back to his nice comfortable home in Japan wasn't helping his mood any.

"Sit down, not everyone is here yet." the silver headed bomber told him in a voice brooking no nonsense, which did not help Kensuke's mood.

Though to his asshole leader's credit he _did_ nod his head to a gloriously filled coffee pot acknowledging Kensuke's tiredness and need for caffeine.

Stuffing down an irate retort, Kensuke merely nodded to his technical boss and went to pour himself a mug of sweet nectar.

Liquid gold hit his tongue, starting a chain reaction suffusing warmth, pleasure, and comfort down into his very bones. As the coffee hit his stomach, the steam rose from inside him, untensing previously stiff muscles. All negativity, ache, and exhaustion seeped together mixing with the air still in his lungs, waiting patiently to be exhaled when he finished his drink.

"Aaaaah" Kensuke sighed out in relief, that was what he definitely needed

Feeling just a little more awake already, Kensuke glanced around the room to see that his initial conclusion that everyone was present and accounted for was a little off.

Originally when he'd walked in he had absently noted that there were eight people in the room and had automatically assumed it was the eight members of the circle that actually lived in Vongola Castle; but further inspection showed a lack of Tsuna, Fuuta, Lambo, I-pin, and Reborn and in their place was Felicita, Benny, Dokuro, Shouichi, and Basil.

"We're having a full meeting?" Kensuke spoke up noting the presence of some of the more irregular meeting members, "And where's Decimo?"

"Not here" the Tenth Generation Manager answered looking up from the tablet she and Gokudera had been huddled over since before he'd walked in, "That's what the meetings about."

Kensuke narrowed his eyes, they never gathered behind Tsuna's back unless it was for something serious

"What's wrong" he asked standing up straight, ready for the worst

"You'll find out when the rest get here, I'm not saying it all twice so sit down already" Gokudera answered annoyed; Kensuke glared and Gokudera rolled his eyes, "Do you think I'd be wasting my time calling a meeting _here_ if Tsuna was in danger?"

Despite the ass hole nature in which the assurance came, Kensuke found himself relaxing, especially at the use of Tsuna's birth name. Gokudera could be paranoid when it came to Tsuna's security and as a result, they'd all adopted his strict habit of only using each other's codenames unless they were absolutely sure a room or area was secure. Hence the reason he had referred to Gokudera as Regulas when he first walked in.

' _Though I probably should have noted it wasn't at least 'life or death serious' considering the fact that we're using the usual meeting place instead of the situation room'_ , Kensuke mused to himself as he took another sip of sweet nectar, allowing himself to drift back off in his thoughts now that there was no immediate danger.

Typically during a serious situation with the family business they were expected to meet the Ninth in some super corporate board rooms; or in life or death situations they might meet in the adequately named Situation Room filled with computers, and maps, and weapons, and other gadgets.

Then there were the situations that were exclusive to the Tenth Generation only

Unlike the other meeting spots the Inner Circle liked to meet in a big living room area full of big plushy couches, a coffee table, plants in vases, and most importantly a small kitchen to the side for easy refreshments access; Tsuna claimed it made everyone more relaxed, there'd yet to be a complaint on the subject.

' _Considering the violent monsters Tsuna attracts, that's probably a smart move'_ Kensuke thought watching the long haired CEDEF member, Basil, miming some kind of stabbing motion to a far too interested eye patch wearing seventeen year old, Dokuro; both had pleasant polite smiles on their faces, _'Me, Hana, Shouichi, and Tsuna are pretty much the only sane members here, we can use all the relaxation we can get'_

"Incredible!" a red head with glasses, **Irie Shouichi** , exclaimed going through a similar tablet as the couple standing at the front of the room, "And to think Byakuran never knew about this, just how have they kept themselves a secret for so long!"

"After the meeting Sho-kun" Haru called pleasantly, "We're only here for Tsuna right now."

"Where's he at again?" Kensuke spoke up, wanting to get this meeting going and hopefully get some well-deserved rest, coffee ( _Kami forgive him for thinking this_ ) could only do so much.

"Japan, he left almost two weeks ago" Gokudera answered not taking his eyes off the tablet, "You weren't here Idiot Sword."

Kensuke just gave the man a hard glare, but otherwise didn't comment on the long time 'nickname', picking at it now wouldn't do anything to get the meeting started any sooner.

Gokudera and he had always had a strained relationship, not that either was immature enough to let it interfere with work, but they didn't exactly hide it either.

The bomber had vagrantly opposed Kensuke's addition to the Famiglia four years ago because old middle school grudges, then again opposed his addition to the Inner Circle two years ago because he didn't see Kensuke's worth.

Kensuke knew he wasn't particularly strong, at least not when compared to the Bosses and Underbosses of Vongola and _their_ Guardian groups, much less Tsuna's. He wasn't a super genius like the dangerous abundance that Vongola seemed to have in its employ, nor did he even have some wealthy background, or monstrous prodigious skill.

What Kensuke Mochida _did_ have was the somewhat dubious fortune of being born in Namimori, Japan, during the same time as one Tsunayoshi Sawada.

Namimori had been the unofficial retiring home of powerful Flame Active people for several centuries, attracted there by the Sawada family and its legacy of powerful **Sky's** ; its residents were known ( _at least to those who were_ _ **in**_ _the know)_ for having a high probability for Flame Activation. Hell Sasagawa had been _born_ with constantly active **Sun** **Flames**.

Part of the reason for Kensuke's and Gokudera's irritation with each other came down to simple chemistry. Kensuke like Gokudera was a **Storm** ; however, he was an uncommonly _calm_ **Storm** , only falling to his Flames natural tendency for chaos during battle or when his rather slow temper was provoked beyond reason. The exact opposite of Gokudera, who was only ever calm in the middle of a fight.

However the larger main reason for their mutual dislike came from some of Kensuke's actions as a _child_ , something Kensuke found ridiculous, even as he himself was ashamed of said actions.

Even though he was a grade higher, Kensuke Mochida had never been able to ignore the shy wimpy boy at school, nor his innocent doe like eyes. Though Kensuke didn't know it at the time, he was being drawn to the little **Sky** , but was otherwise unable to Harmonize because of a seal on Tsuna's Flames.

Now being drawn to a boy who was outwardly a cowardly, clumsy recluse reigned havoc on Mochida's own senses; his Flames raged at not being able to Bond, while his usually calm rational mind couldn't find a logical reason as to why the wimpy kid was always on his mind.

Kensuke had, unfortunately, lashed out in frustration and had taken to mildly bullying, if only verbally, the small boy; something he had regretted and would likely regret for the rest of his life. Especially now as he held his tongue and exchanged glares with the silverette at the center of the room.

' _It should have been me'_ the bitter thought floated in his head insidiously for just a moment before he could stop it, _'Maybe not his right hand, I don't have the strength for that, but it should be me standing up there'_

If Tsuna's flames hadn't been sealed as a child, Kensuke would have undoubtedly been the first to **Harmonize** and **Bond** with him; he alone of all the other potential Guardians had been drawn to the younger boy even _with_ that seal on his Flames.

When Reborn came, blasting away the seal with **Dying Will Bullets** , Kensuke had damaged their possible relationship with his usual behavior; unknowingly rejecting Tsuna's newly freed reaching **Sky Flames**. It wasn't until Kensuke got away from Tsuna and into high school (he _was_ a year older) where his head could be clearer, that he'd swallowed his pride and went to apologize for the little brat he'd been in middle school.

Tsuna had accepted him without as much as a single rebuke.

" _It's fine Mochida-Sempai, you never did anything like beat me up or take my money like the others" Tsuna said waving away his apology, as if just stopping from outright mugging someone made his behavior acceptable._

 _When he learned the kind of danger Tsuna typically faced, getting shaken down for a middle schoolers worth of some pocket money really wasn't much in the grand schemed of things._

" _But the Kyoko duel thing-" he protested, it couldn't be this easy, he couldn't just…just forgive him like it was nothing_

" _You were being a middle school boy with a crush Sempai" Tsuna the angel in a human's body smiled, "Believe me, I've done far stupider things than challenge a rival to a slightly rigged kendo match; besides from your point of few, I was a weirdo who just pushed himself on his crush in his underwear…ugh that was embarrassing… trust me, we're cool Sempai."_

Then with that simple acceptance, Kensuke's partially active **Storm** **Flames** reached out to Tsuna's just one more time; there hadn't even been a token resistance before they were harmonized and Mochida was drunk on the beauty of his new boss's Flames.

Nonetheless, Kensuke had missed an opportunity to be Tsuna's **Storm** **Guardian** ; to stay by his side, to be the raging unrelenting Storm at his every battle, to be an extension of his being and not just the guy who gets called into a meeting two weeks after Tsuna's already left to be told he was in their home nation the whole time.

Kensuke released a breath, it didn't matter, Tsuna was home on his (and Hibari's) turf. He could take this chance to be useful to his boss and friend.

*POKE*

"Gah!" Kensuke jumped out of his skin as he felt something poke his ears

"Hahaha-ow, Dammit Felly that hurt!" came an annoying voice form beside him

"Good, stop being such an idiot" a brisk feminine voice scolded

Looking to his left he wasn't surprised to see two Italian teenagers bickering; one a male with a terrible perm and the scraggly beginnings of a mustache, the other a quite attractive blonde girl wearing quite an ugly frown and piercing green eyes.

 **Benito "Benny" Salusbury** ( _who he hadn't seen come in_ ) and **Felicita Markone** , both friends of Tsuna's from the fancy rich people school Tsuna went to for high school; they'd been brought into Tsuna's Inner Circle around the same time Kensuke had been.

Despite the slapstick nature of their exchange Kensuke knew the two of them were a lot more capable than they let on.

Felicita was an almost painfully stereotypical example of a hot blooded young Italian woman with a quick temper and an overbearing personality, but she was the daughter of a very powerful shipping magnate and practically ran her parent's business on her own.

Benny was the opposite, laid back, mischievous, with sticky fingers; he was actually terrifyingly smart and through a series of trickery and thievery had earned his own way into Tsuna's school with the goal of scamming a bunch of rich brats out of their daddy's cash.

The two tended to bicker like cats and dogs and had fit into the rest of the group's dynamic without trouble, sticking to Tsuna with the same almost fanatic loyalty that came with **Harmonizing** with your one true **Sky**.

"I was just trying to wake him up" Benny said cheerfully, "If he glares at his coffee any longer, he's going to miss the meeting."

Rather than saying something scathing to the odd breach of personal space, Kensuke chose to remain unnaturally silent allowing Felicita to retort for him (he really was far too exhausted for this crap), while he scanned the rest of the room.

While he was drowning in his thoughts they'd been joined by **Akashi** **Seijūrō** , the red head keeping to himself without his fellow "Emperor" present to challenge him, and a video link had been set up with a clearly getting ready for bed Kyoya Hibari, and a probably just waking up Takeshi Yamamato.

Takeshi was training with his baseball team in the states and couldn't just leave, Hibari rarely left Japan if he didn't have to. Dokuro was on the couch messing with a phone most likely calling Rokudo, who **never** stepped foot in the Vongola castle.

Kensuke tried not to shiver at his boss's choice in family friends, especially Rokudo who he'd only met on a handful of occasions and never for any prolonged length of time; he'd long learned to simply trust in Tsuna's judgment when it came to picking loyal followers.

Even if he feared his Boss's ability to forgive just about anybody no matter how much blood was on their hands.

Rokudo's connection to the Vongola as the second half of the Mist Guardian or the unofficial "7th Guardian" was kept a closely guarded secret amongst the upper echelon, which Kensuke as part of Tsuna's Inner Circle was technically a part of.

Rokudo **hated** the mafia and actively went around destroying the more sickening and corrupt Famiglias; by hiding his connection to Vongola, the Vongola were able to ignore when he went after someone that was technically under Vongola's protection from pacts made long ago during darker times.

"What about the rest?" Kensuke asked the pair standing next to him, so far he only counted a little more than half of the Inner Circle present.

It was Benny who answered him, smoothly walking around Felicita's scolding finger she'd been poking him with to get back at him for annoying Kensuke.

"See, this proves right there he wasn't paying attention" Benny exclaimed more towards Felicita in an 'I-told-you-so' way before turning back to Kensuke, "Spanner's already got the debrief so he's not here, Demon Child is doing something important in Britain ( _obviously he already knows everything too_ ), Pedo's with him ( _also obvious_ ), Hana's with him too ( _surprisingly_ ), Black's undercover somewhere and can't come, no one knows where Doc is ( _probably lost in some ancient ruins somewhere_ ), Regulus said this was Vongola business only ( _for right now anyway_ ) so Bizarro Tsuna, Dino, Fon, and the Tomaso boy weren't invited, and Ryohei just went to Varia to get one of them down here as a representative."

Kensuke blinked absorbing all that information silently translating Benny's multiple nicknames in his head; Demon Child was Reborn ( _who was physically a teenager the last time Kensuke saw him_ ), Pedo was Gokudera's sister, Doc was Dr. Tenant- the archeologist Tsuna had met when he somehow ended up searching for Atlantis in Cleveland of all places ( _seriously how did his Boss get into these situations_ ), Bizzaro Tsuna was his nickname for Enma Kozato ( _who Kensuke could admit was probably his long lost soul twin_ ).

*WACK*

"Ow, dammit stop hitting me woman!" Benny yelled clutching his head

"Stop disrespecting your seniors with those horrible nicknames" Felicitia scolded, "Honestly I don't know how you're still alive, Signore Reborn especially would kill you for that."

"Blackmail" Benny grinned, it was his typical shameless response to whenever he was allowed special privilages.

"Bull/Bull shit" Kensuke and Felicita deadpanned simultaneously, with Kensuke following up, "If you had blackmail on him, he would have killed you out of principle."

Reborn was the World's Greatest Hitman ( _capitals necessary_ ) for a reason

"Unless the info was so good even the great Reborn was stalled" Benny countered with a cheesy grin

"So you wouldn't mind if I told him you said that?" Felicita drawled with a raised brow

Benny paled instantly

"Uh"

"Yeah, that's what I thought" she finished with a nod, Benny deflated, but before either one could continue the door burst open with a bang.

"VOOOOOOOOI, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING ME DOWN HERE FOR!"

"EXTREME!"

Kensuke, along with the rest of the room's occupants jumped at the sudden intrusion of noise; the sound made Kensuke spill his coffee

"Dammit! Can you two shut the hell up; it's too early for this crap!" Kensuke snapped at the intruders

"It's almost 3:00 in the afternoon Kenny" Benny 'helpfully' pointed out, "I think you're just tired from your flight."

Kensuke grumbled lowly to himself even as the two men waltzed into the room unbothered by his cursing them.

"Alright what fuck is the meeting for, where's Decimo!" groused one Squalo Superbi, Rain Guardian for Xanxus Vongole' and second in command of Varia; midway into the room the two men made eye contact and Squalo changed directions to come lean on the wall beside Kensuke, giving him an acknowledging nod.

There were few people in the world outside of his boss and his men that Squalo respected; the Arcobaleno were one, _very_ select members of the Vongola upper echelon were two, Nono, Tsuna, and about half of his Guardians were three with Takeshi being the chief among them.

Kensuke and Squalo shared almost nothing in common between the two of them, yet he was given that little bit more respect than Takeshi for one reason; they both shared a love and devotion to the blade.

" **Haha, you guys seem energetic"** Takeshi spoke up from where his computerized face was looking in on the table.

"Voi, people who aren't even here can't talk shit, you trash!" Squalo snapped at the computer, he always got snappier when his rival was in the states.

Kensuke just thought he missed the his fellow Rain Guardian, other than Sasagawa who fit in surprisingly well with the group of bloodthirsty over the top assassins, Takeshi was the only one who could hold a reasonable conversation with the Varia without a fight breaking out.

" **Hahaha, you just proved my point"** Takeshi laughed off the insult teasingly

"Shut up!" Squalo roared

Takeshi only laughed harder and Kensuke gave Squalo a pitying look for having Takeshi Yamamato as a rival; Kensuke had given up on that road back in middle school, getting mad at him was an exercise in futility.

A sharp whistle interrupted the group, and Kensuke once more looked to the front of the room where Haru was lowering her fingers.

"Good, now that Haru has everybody's attention, we can get to the point of this meet-"

"Wait" Sasagawa interrupted, the Sun Guardian's voice was uncharacteristically low and serious and everyone turned to him concerned, "We can't start yet."

"What is it Mr. Sun?" Dokuro asked sounding as innocent as a three year old girl

' _Except not really because she could literally kill you with her mind'_ Kensuke thought

"We can't start the meeting without Tsuna." Sasagawa continued in his serious low voice

There was a brief beat of silence, before an irritated Gokudera gritted his teeth hard enough to be audible

"That's who were here to talk about remember" Gokudera got out in what sounded like a _painfully_ level voice

"Oh right" Sasagawa said with a surprised look on his face, "in that case, I EXTREMELY FORGOT!"

"THEN WRITE IT DOWN LIKE YOUR SUPPOSED TO YOU-" Gokudera started to roar, but paused when Haru put her hand on his arm and whispered something that sounded like Tsuna; taking a deep breath he started again in that painfully level tone, "Turf top, please remember to check your notes _before_ the meeting starts, okay?"

Sasagawa nodded happily, and Kensuke resisted the urge to clap ( _he wasn't sure if it would be mocking or not_ ) for Gokudera's control of his temper without Tsuna there to rear him in with his mere presence.

"Now then, I'm sure you all heard that Tsuna got an assignment from the Ninth-" Gokudera began again only to be interrupted a second time.

"Wait where are the kids!?" Sasagawa exclaimed only slightly less loudly, beating a nail into Kensuke's already aching head. Though considering the man's usual volume he probably should have been grateful.

He wasn't

"I think Lambie is sulking somewhere right?" Benny questioned looking around the room as if expecting the small boy to appear sulkily crouched in some corner

"Why would the kid be sulking?" Kensuke couldn't help ask exasperatedly; yes, he was tired of the constant interruptions, though in this case his exasperation had unintentionally encouraged them.

" **The little guy seemed pretty upset when Tsuna first left"** Takeshi piped up from the computer, **"I don't think he's taking his big brother's separation well."**

"He just being a brat like usual" Gokudera grumbled unsympathetically

"Pot N' Kettle" Benny murmured beside him in reference to Gokudera's own freak outs from when they were younger and Tsuna disappeared from his sight for longer than ten seconds.

Kensuke and Squalo snorted

The youngest of the circle at ten (" _ **almost**_ _eleven, guys!"_ ) **Lambo Bovino-Sawada** was one of three of Tsuna's adopted siblings. As for his importance to the circle ( _and by definition the importance of his lack of attendance to the current meeting_ ); he was also the acting **Lightning Guardian** , and like all the Guardians was more akin to an extension of a single organism. That organism being the **Greater Sky** Tsunayoshi Sawada

"I needed him out of HQ before he made me strangle him, so I gave him an errand to run" Gokudera continued as if he didn't hear Salisbury's comment, "He should be reporting back today, Fuuta's with him, now-."

"Where's Dumpling!?" Benny piped up, and Kensuke could tell by his grin that he was deliberately trying to annoy the more volatile members in the room.

"I-pin chan is with her master" Haru piped up before Gokudera or Squalo ( _who had used up the last of his good will from the previous joke_ ) could tear into him; though it didn't stop Felicita from slapping him upside his head, "They're doing some special training in the wilderness before her next tournament."

Little **I-pin Sawada** , the second adopted sibling and member of the Inner Circle under the age of thirteen. Unlike her brothers, I-pin lived a relatively mafia free life despite almost everyone she knew and cared about being firmly enwrapped in the dark underworld.

Tsuna had no other younger female sibling figures in his life and thus had the tendency to spoil her in comparison to their brothers; I-pin herself didn't have a father or any other constant male authority figures in her life other than Tsuna and responded to the affection reminiscent of a daddy's girl. Hence the obvious surprise at her absence at anything Tsuna related.

"Now that _everybody_ knows where _everybody_ is" Gokudera ground out with exaggerated patience, "Nearly two weeks ago Nono sent Tsuna-sama on a job; a diplomatic exploration with a previously unknown power group."

At his words the room straightened up and put on their "game" faces

"Project: Bedford Moon, the details will be sent to those of you who don't already have them. In a few months we'll be bringing in some other Famiglias from the Alliance, after our initial findings." Gokudera continued his demeanor relaxing as it fell into his 'debriefing stance'.

"Bedford Moon?" Seijūrō asked speaking up for the first time since entering the room, his cool tone and slit blood red eyes sending unconscious shivers down Kensuke's spine, "I take it we're preparing for a possible hostile action from this group?"

"Not so much from the people that Tsuna-sama's with" Gokudera quickly assured as the rest of the room stiffened, Seijūrō's predictions tended to be almost as alarmingly accurate as Tsuna's, "We'd never have sent him otherwise, but it is a caution. Right now this is a chance to explore opportunities; Bedford was a businessman after all."

Seijuro nodded conceding some hidden point that went over Kensuke's head

"I have no idea what you two are talking about." Benny piped up breaking into the meaningful silence created by the two intimidating genii.

" **Hahaha, I'm glad you said something cause I was lost"** Takeshi laughed on the computer

"EXTREMELY LOST!"

"Idiots" Felicita mumbled

"Oh, do you know what they're talking about?" Benny said turning on her immediately; the girl blushed but didn't answer, "Ha, ha"

"It's a reference to a H.G. Wells book" Squalo answered, missing the startled looks of those around him, "It has to do with a scientist (fuck if I can remember his name) and a businessman (Bedford) who build a rocket to the moon like 50 years before others did. They find some advanced alien life up there, but then shit gets real, Bedford high tails it back to Earth. A few months later the aliens use the scientist's knowledge about Earth and decide we're a threat so they try to kill us, but Bedford nukes the fuckers and wipes them all out by the time the moon landing happens in 69."

'…'

'…'

'…'

"Oh yeah, I forgot you Varia guys are like super smart" Benny spoke up, voicing the thoughts of half the room.

It was easy to forget what with their borderline psychopathic behavior, but Varia was known for its quality in all areas. Hell the academic requirements for joining as a _grunt_ alone was to be able to speak some seven languages, and understand University level mathematics, chemistry, and physics.

"VOOI, THE FUCK IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN TRASH!" Squalo snapped

"Sorry, sorry," Benny said raising his hands with an unrepentant grin, but Felicita stepped in before the master crook could start a fight he couldn't finish.

"What a morbid name for an exploration mission, is that what Nono thinks is going to happen?"

"Not really no" Haru easily assured, "The name was a warning yeah, but it's mostly just the person who named it sense of humor."

" _Who finds naming a mission about the possibility of nuking another culture funny?"_ Kensuke groused in his head, just as Felicita asked the same thing aloud

"Reborn" Haru chirped

'…'

'…'

'...'

' _Of Course it was'_ Kensuke deadpanned along with the rest of the room

"Either way, the finer details of the mission can be discussed later", Gokudera pressed on and Kensuke was reminded that this was supposed to be about Tsuna somehow, _did he need help_ , "I'm sure we've all noticed how… challenging the last year has been on Tsuna-sama."

Kensuke frowned

When he'd first been admitted to the Inner Circle during his last year of high school, Tsuna's schedule had already been monstrous, the younger teen not having a moment of time for himself. Kensuke had been amazed that Tsuna was able to complete so many tasks so efficiently in any given day, while still having time to make sure those around him were happy.

It was that Reborn enforced work ethic, that inspired all of them to put two hundred percent effort in everything they did; how could they do any less when their boss gave so much?

However there was never any doubt that Tsuna enjoyed the… _content_ of some of his work; some of which weighed heavily on the young man's conscience. He'd always gotten through it, but with several large changes in his personal life… well it was understandable how that weight may have gotten a little heavier to carry recently.

"This project will keep Tsuna-sama away for some time." Gokudera continued, "I want Tsuna-sama to be able to use this time to take a break from his regular duties. He deserves it."

Nobody argued

"Right, I'm sure you guys" Kensuke spoke up referring to the contigent of the room that operated at HQ, "will do everything you can to keep business as usual here, is there anything you need from me since he's on me and Hibari's home turf, how long is this project anyway?"

"The project is forever" Gokudera answered, though notably ignoring Kensuke's request to help were he couldn't, "but Tsuna-sama's direct involvement should last for up to a year."

' _A year!?'_ Kensuke thought his eyes widening, _'A whole freaking year! What kind of mission did Tsuna get himself wrapped up into!?'_

Glancing around the room he saw other bits of surprise on Seijūrō, Felicita, and Benny's face; Shouichi, Squalo and the Guardians seemed already aware of this.

Kensuke glanced at Shouichi remembering his earlier comment

" _And to think Byakuran never knew about this, just how have they kept themselves a secret for so long!"_

' _Just how big is this project_ ', cause though Kensuke hadn't been a part of the 'Evil-Byakuran-Time-Travel-Adventure' that everybody swore up and down was true, he knew that it involved some serious end of the world type shit, _'And if this group somehow escaped the sight of the Sky Mare's omniscience, not to mention the Sky Arcobaleno's clairvoyance, and Vongola Sky's Hyper Intuition,_ _ **and**_ _at least one Armageddon from an alternate timeline, then this probably deserves_ _ **even more**_ _than the year of work Tsuna signed himself up for.'_

"Yes a year" Gokudera nodded like it was no big thing, and Kensuke forced himself to calm down, if Tsuna's biggest fanatic possible swingers partner could handle the possibility of separation then the rest of them had no excuse, "Even still, I think we can all except that Tsuna-sama, though amazing… won't survive that long on his own."

There was a brief moment's pause as everyone considered that

"Serafino does tend to attract the weirdest situations" Benny mused aloud, using his Italian name as he and Felicita knew him by, "Remember finding Atlantis in Cleveland?"

"Or the time he found an actual Yeti at the beach" Felicita inserted

" **Oh Hayato, remember that time we got stranded in Death Valley?"** Takeshi exclaimed

"Which time?" Gokudera grumbled, "The time with squid or the time with giant iguana?"

"Haru remembers that, weren't you guys running for the border police and ended up falling out of the getaway plane?"

"That was an EXTREME!"

Kensuke just stared, _'Tsuna… what the hell?'_

"More than the physical, what about his mental and emotional state?" Seijūrō spoke from where he lounged, "A **Sky** too long without its elements, especially one used to having a full set, can be… volatile."

A silence entered the room as the others frowned in thought

"He'll still see us for Sunday dinner though right?" "And he's obviously gone longer than a month seeing some of us" said gesturing to the two computers with Hibari and Takeshi's faces

"A few hours visit once a month isn't the same" Seijiuro interjected, probably more to play devil's advocate then actual worry over his fellow 'Emperor's' feelings, "Tsunayoshi is too pure a sky with too strong flame bonds to fall to the depression of being empty… that being said surviving and being healthy are two different things. Tsunayoshi is also usually surrounded by enough flame types and general distracting craziness in Vongola Castle to fill the temporary voids left by the Guardian's absence."

"Hold up, hold up, hoooold up!" Kensuke waved his hands stopping that line of thought before it could get too far; Kensuke may occasionally envy the Guardians for how closely they bonded to Tsuna, but there was no denying that they could be codependent stalkers with little to no respect for Tsuna's privacy.

"Wasn't the point of this mission for Tsuna to get _away_ from all the crazy?" he continued when he'd finally gotten their attentions.

"Well yeah, but-" Haru started to say, but Kensuke was having none of it, she was almost as bad as the Guardians; sans him, Squalo, and Seijuro they all were.

"And this is _Tsuna_ we're talking about", he continued as if he didn't hear her, "the guy who convinces sociopaths out to kill him to want to follow him forever. I doubt he'll go a whole year without finding people to help 'fill the void' in between Guardian breaks."

"What about the lack of chaos?" Benny asked smartly

"Boss _does_ get sulky and whiny when there isn't enough chaos" Dokuro said softly, in her usual sweet yet unrepentantly blunt manner

True enough, as much as Tsuna complained about the headaches his insane Famiglia caused him, he started to worry and get moody when there _wasn't_ some kind of mess for him to clean up.

"It's Tsuna", Kensuke shot back as if it explained it all

Really it kind of did

"I'm calling Fuuta right now to get his first impressions on how he's doing" Gokudera announced pulling out his phone

The final and the oldest sibling of the three was **Fuuta Sawada** who was fourteen, pushing fifteen, years old. He was the only one of the three siblings recognized as an adult ( _over thirteen_ ) in the Mafia World and was also an oh so preciously rare **Sky**. At his age he would most likely begin striking out on his own and gathering his own elements to bond with him, but he wasn't and sadly most likely never would.

 _ ***Ring***_

 _ ***Ring***_

 _ ***Ri-**_

" **This is the cell phone of Fuuta Sawada"** came an obnoxious voice on the other end of the phone, **"If your hearing this recording it means that you don't have enough intelligence for Fuuta to want to pick up and talk to you."**

" _ **Lambo that's not what I said!"**_ Fuuta's panicked voice was heard from a distance

" **Didn't you say you didn't have time to talk to that dumb retarded stupid monkey faced Stupidera?"** Lambo drawled loudly into the phone

" **No, I didn't!"** Fuuta shrieked , **"I said, my hands were full can you-"**

" **Yo, Whaddaya want Stupidera?"** Lambo said cutting off his brother before he could finish his explanation

Several people in the room snickered and smirked as they watched Gokudera's eyebrow twitched in tune with every time the kid mentioned the immature nickname.

"Lambo, what did you find out about the situation?" Gokudera asked in that exaggerated patience he always used when dealing with… well everyone who wasn't Tsuna or Haru… or really just Tsuna.

" **It sucks, Tsuna-nii is helpless without maids or Maman to take care of him."** Lambo responded immediately without reserve, unknowingly confirming their fears.

"In what way?" Gokudera asked trepidatious and they all leaned in; Lambo didn't even hesitate before he immediately start going down what was obviously a prepared list

" **There's a crap load of frozen TV dinners and takeout bags in the trash, everywhere but his bedroom needs a cleaning, his laundry is beginning to pile up partly because he forgot to buy a lot of the basic toiletries, I don't think he's been sleeping well if the early morning/late night calls are anything to go off of"** Lambo listed to the steadily growing worried room, **"There's** _ **a lot**_ **of books here, like stacks bigger than me a lot; he's got that crazy person conspiracy wall thing… Baka Tsuna-nii."**

There was a general sigh around the room

"He's overworking himself" Shouichi groaned, he spoke with experience, "He's already trying to find ways to distract himself."

" **Isn't this supposed to be a working** _ **vacation**_ **?"** Takeshi spoke up from the computer, where he was technically on his own working vacation

"It doesn't sound like he's eating right" Haru frowned worried

" **Kufufufu, Tsunayoshi is a mother hen used to taking care of others, he doesn't usually remember to take care of himself."** Rokudo said speaking up again from the phone in Dokuro's lap, **"** **Kufufufu I must send a reminder to him that he takes care of that body, before I get my turn to use it."**

"Is he trying to sound gay on purpose or is that a Freudian slip kinda thing?" Benny 'whispered' to Felicita

" **Stupid cubs, acting like a herbivore is unacceptable for a pride leader"** Hibari's own voice rang out from the computer screen on the opposite side of the room; even with neither of them present, they refused to be metaphorically near each other.

" **Kufufufu, don't you do the same thing Mr. Skylark?"** Rokudo's voice rang, **"How many times has Tsunayoshi had to drag you back to some hospital bed, because you were too stupid not to try and flap broken wings?"**

" **A little less than the amount of times the cub's stopped you from falling to the dark side of the fruitiness Pineapple"** Hibari growled back

" **Kufufufu, someone's bold when I'm not in the room in front of them, then again your agoraphobia would stop you from entering a room with people wouldn't it?"** Rokudo hissed back darkly

" **Gender confused fruit who live in abandoned motels have no right to talk."** Hibari snapped back acidly

"We should look into getting him a maid, at least part time" Gokudera continued as if he wasn't aware of the two men sniping and glaring ( _Dokuro, on Rokudo's orders, went to video, so they could see each other as they bickered_ ) at each other from across the room and continents, "He won't like the help, so we'll have to say whoever he or she is, is only there so that he can focus more on the project."

"Haru will talk to the head maid and see if she can spare anyone; the night crew has more advanced combat training for security reasons." Haru assured tapping something on the electronic pad, "Fuuta sweetie, how did your side mission go?"

" **I got a whole list of rankings for the class and the staff Haru-nee"** Fuuta said having apparently gotten the phone from Lambo

Fuuta had _incredibly_ **Mutated Sky Flames** , which if passed down to any of his children, had the potential to be a bloodline trait as coveted and dangerous as even the Vongola's famed Hyper Intuition.

Fuuta's flames automatically and without reserve Harmonized with any and every one and living thing the boy came into contact with, at a level that most humans couldn't even **Harmonize** with their _closest_ friends. Using this Fuuta was able to draw information from complete strangers and essentially "Rank" them by their strengths, weaknesses, talents, emotions, and even their very potential, earning him the distinguished nickname **Ranking Prince Fuuta**.

However it was exactly the sheer potency of his Flames that prevented Fuuta from gathering his own family. A Famiglia was based off of precious bonds of love and blood and flames between varied individuals all interconnected and held together by a **Sky** ; how could someone who Harmonized with _everyone_ (friends, family, enemies, rivals, strangers off the street) every truly feel personal bonds with _anyone_?

Answer: he couldn't, his flames changed to match any and every one having no true stable form that could draw others to him; it was only because of Tsuna being such a pure **Sky** of one of the **Three Great Skies** , that Fuuta was able to Bond with him at all, and through him Bond with his Guardians.

Kensuke shivered at the thought of never being able to form a **Bond** ; true ninety nine percent of the world didn't have flames to experience it, nor did Fuuta himself feel any exceptional loss from not getting the full experience of something he never had, but still.

 **Harmonizing** and **Bonding** could be a life changing experience, once you did it was impossible to go back.

" **There's a bit of a problem"** the young teen's voice came in interrupting the group's musings

"Problem" Gokudera growled almost threateningly, but anyone who knew him knew that it was just the man's main way of showing concern.

The entire room silenced, now razor focused on Fuuta's next words; Kensuke's hand drifted to his side, reflexively gripping his blade in preparation to defend his boss from harm.

" **Well not so much of a problem as a concern"** Fuuta's voice hedged sounding somewhat uncomfortable

Kensuke frowned at the kid's vague response, but nonetheless felt his tension (as well as the rest of the room's) ease slightly. If it were truly serious, Fuuta would have sounded far more grave not… embarrassed?

"Stop beating around the bush Fuuta and just spit it out" Gokudera growled, the teen's silence obviously working his stressed nerves.

" **He's not beating around the bush Stupidera, you just won't let anyone finish speaking as usual"** a childish voice drawled from the other side of the line, apparently Lambo had gotten back control of the phone for a brief moment

" **It's an all-girl school!"** Fuuta hurried and rushed out before the kid and Gokudera could start up an infamous Storm/Lightning argument, not that Kensuke didn't agree with the brat about Gokudera's ridiculously… short… wait, what?!

"…Fuuta" Gokudera answered slowly, obviously giving the teen time to reevaluate his statement "Tsuna is clearly a male."

" **No duh, Stupidera"** the higher pitched voice interrupted for a second time, **"Not the University, the super special class of specialness that he's supposed to be networking with- the class is in an all-girls middle school."**

Immediately a strained silence entered the room; Kensuke noted that the Guardians and all the members of the circle who'd gone to high school with Tsuna (Spanner, Shouichi, Felicita, Basil, Haru,) exchanged worried glances, while those who hadn't (himself, Squalo, Akashi) merely looked mystified.

"Vooi, the fuck does it being a chick school have to do with anything?" Squalo interrupted from his side obviously annoyed at being left out of the loop, "He doesn't freeze up around chicks or something does he?"

"No" Kensuke answered, remembering that his boss had dated their middle school crush Kyoko last year, "he's had girlfriends before."

Across the room Sasagawa twitched slightly and Kensuke held in his own wince; he hadn't been present when it all 'went down' but he'd been told that Tsuna and Sasagawa's younger sister had been breaking up for a long time.

According to I-pin and Lambo, _who'd gossiped to him like all kids with zero respect for their older siblings privacy_ , it had been like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Everyone knew it was over, but the two in question had refused for the longest time to severe the final cords of their relationship, hence the strain in their friendship even months later.

"An inability to talk to women isn't the problem" Felicita grumbled, then blushed and looked to the corner of the room when the others looked at her.

Benny snickered and got a slap to the back of the head from the embarrassed girl and Kensuke found himself trading a confused glance with the other Storm in the room. Good, he wasn't the only one lost on that.

"Boss has a history with women", Dokuro stated for the benefit of those who were out of the loop; her soft voice sounded almost unconcerned, even as the others looked severely uncomfortable.

Kensuke for his part was having a difficult time processing what Dokuro was implying; he _knew_ what she was implying, but _Tsuna_? Sure he was a lot more comfortable in his own skin than he'd ever been before, but she couldn't be implying what it sounded like right?

Any doubt he had was erased a moment later as the speaker in Dokuro's hand spoke up

" **A history that begins and ends in one night kufufufu"** Rokudo's voice echoed darkly in the silent room

' _No. Way'_ Kensuke thought even as his draw dropped when none of the other Guardians said anything to contradict him; somehow even with the knowledge that Tsuna had had a girlfriend in Kyoko for several months, the idea that Tsuna was capable of… carnal acts, had never computed, _'Does that mean the golden couple was dirtier than anyone thou- nope, nope, don't think about it. That's your boss and your superior's sister, don't think, don't think, don't think.'_

" **Tsuna-nii is still the number one ranked in the Mafia unable to turn down a request."** Fuuta said over the phone sounding sheepish; Kensuke didn't blame him, even as Benny snorted

"Voi, so you worried he's going to get some chick pregnant?" Squalo questioned obviously not seeing the problem; Kensuke doubted he would, he was a grown man not some immature little teenager after all, "If he's got such a woman fixation, I think he's learned to rubber up by now."

"Squalo!" Haru hissed, her cheeks flushed, scandalized, "There are children listening!"

Squalo merely rolled his eyes

"It was the kid who brought it up in the first place wasn't it?" Squalo countered

"Still!" the girl hissed

"It's not like that" Gokudera intervened bringing the conversation back before it could derail, "it's not just women, he- OH F#CK YOU GUYS, NOT LIKE THAT! I meant he it's not just sex related things he can't say no to!"

Midway through his sentence everyone had given him _looks_ , clearly questioning just how he knew if Tsuna didn't just give into _women_ only; they'd all heard the rumors

"Me thinks the lady doth protest too much" Haru hummed happily, and Kensuke shook his head; it's like she _wanted_ the rumors to be true.

"BUT" Gokudera said loudly obviously trying to drown out his perverted girlfriend's voice, "It's not like Tsuna-sama sleeps with every woman who comes on to him, otherwise all the people who come to him with marriage proposals would probably get it. He can use his Intuition to tell their intentions and most only want him for shallow if not superficial reasons."

Kensuke felt his shoulders relaxing a bit, well he wasn't quite sure if he wanted short innocent Tsuna to be-

" **So he sleeps with the ones who have a reason to sleep with him that isn't superficial?** **"** Rokudo spoke up again with a teasing lit to his voice that said he was deliberately trying to stir the pot.

Gokudera managed to keep a straight face

"Tsuna-sama told me that most girls that _really_ need help just want someone to talk to, someone to hold them, or make them feel special for a little while." Gokudera reasoned, "A kiss at most will satisfy, especially if he uses his flames to help soothe."

" **Most"** Rokudo immediately centered on that all important factor, **"So there are some who aren't satisfied with just that."**

Gokudera looked irritated

"Yes, but like I said it's pretty rare he gets approached by someone with a proposition that isn't superficial that _has_ to be satisfied through… sexual means." and Kensuke wondered why the man always seemed so surprised why people questioned the nature of their relationship.

Kensuke certainly didn't know the details of his friends' sex lives the way Gokudera and Tsuna clearly shared, he bet if asked Gokudera could probably list their names and how long Tsuna spent with them.

' _Hadn't Tsuna dated Haru before in their last year in Japan or something'_ Kensuke thought glancing at the eccentric Inner Circle's general manager, who seemed to be blushing up a storm, _'I know that was a long time ago and they probably never did anything… then again I didn't think Tsuna and Kyoko had done anything, damn that must get awkward sometimes.'_

"Again, why are we talking about it then?" Squalo asked clearly impatient to get this show on the road though in his defense, that did seem like a very specific and difficult set of conditions to meet.

" **It's just something I'd thought I'd bring up Signore Squalo"** Fuuta piped up from the speaker, **"Like I said it's not a problem per say, but I did to a Ranking for woman Tsuna-nii was most likely to be attracted to…"**

"Yeah and…?" Gokudera questioned at Fuuta's unusual pause

" **Well his number one and number three haven't changed since I first Ranked him years ago when Felicita asked me to."** Fuuta answered, he continued on oblivious of the incredulous and smug looks given to Tsuna's blond friend or her own burning blush, **"but the second, and fourth through eighth as well, have changed… three of those names are girls in Tsuna-nii's class and Kyoko-nee has been moved down to tenth."**

"…"

"…"

"… **What was that about him not sleeping with every girl that comes on to him?"** Rokudo piped up

"… We'll send people to check on him" Gokudera answered, "Fuuta; you got his schedule for the next few weeks."

" **I'll email you his schedule"** Fuuta answeredquickly **, "** **There's a class trip to Kyoto coming up soon"**

"Sword Idiot?" Gokudera turned to him

"I'll be there" Kensuke instantly assured

With that the meeting continued as various members of the circle hashed out just exactly how they intended to secretly intrude on their boss's life; and really, was it really meddling when it was the person's own good?


	8. Chapter 7 Research

**WARNING** **:** This is a terribly paced chapter, but I have a terrible excuse to go with it. Guilt, yes guilt. I was going through my story, hating how awkward my first two chapters were and wondering if I should just start from scratch, when I noticed there were more reviews than I realized and I read a beautiful one, which summed up said the person was so excited to find my story, but was reluctant to follow/favorite because of how long it had been since I updated. And I realized, it had been a year since I first published, and only got out 8 chapters in the first four months. EIGHT! And then after that nothing.

… **This is In- un- acceptable. UNNACCEPTABLE!**

So here's the real importance of this message, I'm looking for a **BETA**. If you haven't noticed I have barely acceptable grammar, terrible habit of writing run on sentences, and the pacing for this story is not terrible, but I'll admit on the mediocre side, if interested PM me, some basic requirements can be found in the author's note below. Let's roll.

 **Chapter 7: Research**

' _Evangeline A.K. McDowell huh',_ Tsuna thought to himself gazing at a close up picture of a smirking twenty something year old evil beauty in the text book he was reading, and compared it to the snapshot of a ten year old blond in gothic Lolita drinking tea at a _Go_ tournament that was in the file Reborn got him, _'how in the world am I going to deal with you?'_

It was sadly, a frequently occurring thought that Tsuna had been having for the last several days now, and not just towards his new would be student.

Having decided to take Takamichi's advice on visiting the library for more information about the magic world, Tsuna had set off first thing Monday morning to Library Island.

A _very_ apt name as it turned out

Granted, he hadn't exactly expected a board with a clearly marked " **Magical Info Here"** sign, but it was instantly obvious by the sheer _gargantuan_ size of the library that he wasn't going to be able to just wing it. He still wasn't sure how much of the school was actively magically aware, nor had his **Hyper Intuition** spent enough time gathering information about mages to be able to tell one from a glance. As it happened however he didn't need to be able to identify mages; his student I.D had an insignia on it that marked him as a 'Special Access Student'. As the name implied, it gave him special access to magical regions in the school.

The library attendant _(non-magical he later found out_ ), quickly realized he no idea of what she was babbling about with Special Access, and kindly passed him off to a more experienced Librarian.

Any hope of exploring the Library that day was effectively thwarted as he was given a full orientation of all 'Magical Zones' in school. Which places students were free to practice magic, which teachers they could trust to go to in case of a magical emergency, magical afterschool clubs, secret passageways, etc.

It was a lot of incredibly useful information ( _and Tsuna had made sure to take as many detailed notes as possible to send back to his team in Italy_ ), so Tsuna didn't count it as a waste. That being said, it was another day that he couldn't properly research the world that he would essentially be staking millions of dollars and his family's ( _both his faction and the Vongola as a whole's_ ) reputation on.

Of course, no sooner had the fact that he'd been looking to look up information on the magical world gotten out, had Konoemon not trapped him the next day in his office, having 'just run into him on his daily walk.'

 _Cough Bulg Shigt Cough_

' _Wasn't it fair that the Kanto Magic Association also receive some information from their business partners?_ ' he said,

' _Hadn't they already given out so much access to Tsuna?_ ' he said,

' _Knowing a product was all good and well, but what about the people selling the product? 'Wouldn't it be best if all parties knew exactly who they were dealing with before making any major monetary investments?'_ Bah!

Tsuna had to spend the remainder of his Tuesday, trying to give as little information as possible about his obviously blood-soaked family, while not seeming to be actively holding back information. In the end, Tsuna tried to focus on Vongola's legal businesses, specifically the ones that would have a vested interest in this little project.

The **Seashell Corporation** , started by Vongola 5th ( _the first to move Vongola's vast wealth into purely legal business ventures_ ); the company Tsuna had overseen since he was seventeen- and the company that would be producing Flame engineered pharmaceuticals that would be traded to the Mages.

As well as **C &F Mining and Oiling**, which despite its name was more of a been a construction company nowadays, since Vongola 8th started their technological age and was CEDEF's main cover organization; who would be building the 'embassy' for Costra Nostra on Mage owned soil.

 _The fact that almost all the workers were highly trained soldiers and spies for Vongola's largest information network had interestingly enough_ _ **not**_ _come up in the conversation._

Needless to say it was a mentally tasking way to spend his day, and despite having some hours left in the day after the meeting was up, Tsuna had had to use the remainder of his day going back and informing his family on what information the Mages had gotten out of him.

It wouldn't do to have a negotiator blindsided by knowledge they didn't know was known to their opponent.

Which finally led to Wednesday, Tsuna needed to know these **Mages** ; he needed to know their daily lives, so he could better understand what could be offered in their trading. He needed to know their culture, so the negotiations could move more smoothly. He needed to know their history, so he could understand the _why's_ of said culture, how they thought, how they reacted, what was their temperament, what were their relations to each other, what were they proud of, what was their shame?

Tsuna had made _many_ mistakes his first years as Decimo from not knowing this exact information when dealing with other Famiglia, there was no room for error here

… _And no, he wasn't trying to avoid just how quiet his apartment was, or how alone he was starting to feel since all his friends and family were now on different schedules, or how until the next semester started he couldn't even make new ones…_

So Wednesday morning Tsuna arrived at the Library and ( _after a_ _ **ridiculous**_ _amount of climbing and tunneling and literally scaling down massive shelfs_ ) began to explore some of the history of this new world.

As Tsuna continued deeper into his research, he began to come to one disheartening conclusion: his people were not only _not_ coming to the table from a seat of power, they were vastly, _hilariously_ , outnumbered and outgunned.

Simply put the average mage off the street had more firepower than the average made man; their abilities were diverse, powerful, and difficult to defend against. They could summon the elements, create independent golems, and manipulate the world around them as they chose, with nothing more than handful of strung together words.

It was… humbling

This of course wasn't to say that Tsuna's people would lose a fight, not by a long shot. Cosa Nostra was a paradise of violence and sin; their children were taken from a young age and molded to be great warriors, assassins, and schemers, they were gladiators in suits. Pushing their bodies beyond the usual human restrictions was one of the key **requirements** of using the most _basic_ levels of **Dying Will Flames**.

 **Mages** on the other hand, from what Tsuna could see, were primarily researchers and scholars. The number of hours of study needed to perform even the most basic magic was incredibly extensive. There was a _reason_ so many **mages** had day jobs as teachers, and why a ten-year-old could teach a middle school class; because completing basic magic education was the equivalent of completing a university level degree- which Negi had done.

So theoretically a mafioso could stand up to and even naturally beat a mage, but that was just the basic average joes off the street.

Flipping the page of the modern magical history book he'd come across, Tsuna tried not to let out a sigh of exhaustion.

 _For reasons unknown Evangeline A.K. McDowell does not have any of the weaknesses of a typical vampire, such as sunlight, and holy waters. The "Monster Class" Mage was known to favor ice and darkness magic, among most commonly seen being_ _ **Nivis Casus.**_ _A highly lethal attack spell which instantaneously creates and launches a large-volume avalanche of snow at the target, causing blunt trauma, frostbite, and at close range, hypothermia – assuming you're not frozen outright or swept away(1). A spell the_ _ **Dark Apostle**_ _used to great effect to massacre her enemies {see The Battle of Mt. Corzek p.154}_

 _The Puppet Mistress's conquest over regions in the South Hellas Empire were abruptly and mysteriously stopped in the year 10XX (Old World Year 19XX) for reasons unknown; thought most credit this to the intervention of The_ _ **Thousand Master**_ _and_ _ **Ala Rubra**_ _, who were participating in Post War Reparations._

 _Sightings of the dark mage continued for nearly two years after the rumored event, before disappearing completely._

 _Being an Immortal vampire, speculation still continues over the_ _ **Dark Apostle**_ _continued existence; to this day, official law enforcement agencies refuse to remove from wanted list and urge citizens that may encounter the witch to flee on sight._

 _For more information on the safety measures to take upon running into the dark mage see…_

The problem, Tsuna had found, was when you began to compare the _elites_ of both worlds.

From what Tsuna could tell, even the strongest bosses in Cosa Nostra tapped out at what the **Mages** would label a _B-rank_ threat.

' _Which is nothing to sneeze at'_ Tsuna thought, as his mind's eye pictured an incredibly irate Xanxus casually blowing off the top of a skyscraper after Dino had pissed him off somehow during the Arcobaleno War, _'but neither is it enough to make the people I'm reading about hang back.'_

Because above _that_ were threats _A-level, AA-level, AAA-level_ ( _which Takamichi apparently fit in_ ) and then there was this massive gap of power where the legends and monsters of history dwelled. Legends like Ala Rubra ( _of whom Negi's father belonged to_ ) and "monsters" like the honestly adorable looking Evangeline A.K. McDowell, who was under house arrest at this very school.

That didn't even go into the fact that there was a whole other planet, who may or may not feel the need to step in on behalf of their 'Old World' cousins. The Mafia just couldn't compare.

"Having power doesn't make them a threat Dame-Tsuna." Tsuna tried to chastise himself, even as his nerves and Intuition were screaming at him to call Reborn and get to a training hall and pull off some miraculous power up.

' _Where's a time traveling villain or ancient ring of power when you need it?'_ Tsuna thought to himself wryly.

All the same, he'd feel far better if his people had _some way_ to counteract the Mages in the not too unlikely event this all went sideways, and Tsuna ended up fighting one of these "Monster Class" fighters.

Tsuna knew how easy it was for good people to do terrible things if they felt justified.

 _Sky darkened by black by smoke as far the eye could see_

 _Ashes rained in a disgusting beautiful imitation of snow fall_

Tsuna's eyes narrowed and his fist clenched as he pushed away _that_ old memory, _'And I can't think of anything more justified than grouping together to destroy an insidious and corrupt group, with centuries of blood on their hands.'_

And the worst thing was, they wouldn't even be wrong; how many times had Tsuna himself swore that he'd change the Mafia even if he had to _**burn it down to the ground**_ first.

" _To Perish or Prosper is up to you now Vongola Decimo"_

Ironically it was the Vindice, the very beings who terrified the hell out of every **Flame Wielder** in the world, who were their biggest protectors.

As the enforcers of such separation of the two worlds, they were often the only things **Mages** experienced for Cosa Nostra first hand; and no one sane wanted to mess with whatever was capable of producing monsters like that.

"If I want to keep my family safe, I need access to _that_ kind of power." Tsuna mumbled, remembering that all too brief moment of focus and utter clarity in which he'd had the kind of power to knock down even the great Bermuda von Veckenschtein.

' _No, I'll need more than that'_ Tsuna thought with a shake of his head, ' _that doesn't even count as a full win.'_

A single strike, when Bermuda hadn't been expecting it, after Reborn had nearly died to wear him down and provide Tsuna that opening, did not a victory make. The fact that he hadn't been able to mimic that strength since, meant he now had look for alternative solutions to his current predicament

So here he was now, spending his Friday afternoon on a table and chair suspended off a 30-foot bookshelf, drinking a cold cup of coffee, working overtime, hoping to find everything he could about these **Mages**. He only left long enough to drop off books in his apartment, catch an hour or two of sleep, and have his now semi-frequent dinner with Negi and listen to the stories he had about his class.

 _Negi_

The little **Sky** was rapidly wiggling his way into Tsuna's heart; the boy was just so positive and _earnest_ in literally _everything_ he did; the boy was truly a genius, yet he had moments of pure idiocy that left Tsuna in a familiar feeling of exasperated and amused.

As if summoned by his thoughts Tsuna could have sworn he heard an echo of the young boy's voice.

" _-sei, is quite, Asuna-"_

"Now I'm hearing things." Tsuna chuckled, his voice easily being swallowed by the vast emptiness in this section of the library.

"Mah, I haven't felt this lonely in a while." Tsuna sighed out as the silence returned

All his work had left him little time to sit and relax and _talk_ with people

( _which If he thought about it, was kind of half the point he'd been personally chosen to go on this trip_ ),

Any friendships he formed were based solely on saying hi to the guy who passed him a pencil or made his coffee. Konoka, sweet girl she was, had her own life, and other than the occasional text he'd yet to meet up with the girl again, putting it off for when his duties as a student teacher would start.

' _I'll have to do better'_ Tsuna admonished himself; making friends had become easier over the years for the once shy boy, keeping them was still a bit of a challenge to the boy whose awkwardness still flared up from time to time, _'this isn't just somebody telling me to break out of my shell and meet people that aren't my family, but an actual mission assignment; I can't just let these things fall to the wayside anymore.'_

Negi, sadly and happily enough, was the only person he spent any extended length of time with. His age and terrible lack of social awareness, made Tsuna comfortable around the baby **Sky**. Though that would need to change if he-

"There it was again" Tsuna thought aloud, tilting his head to the side, "why am I hearing Negi's voice… it's not my **Intuition** is it?"

No sooner had the troubling thought of his mind creating the sound of other people's voices, crossed his mind did a little niggling in the back of his head urging him to look up.

' _Well then, this is gonna take some explaining'_ Tsuna thought dryly as he listened to his intuition and looked up

Currently scaling down one of the endless book cases like a mountain climber was a familiar little burgundy headed professor and, if he wasn't mistaken, a significant number of his future students.

' _What on Earth are they doing down here?'_ Tsuna thought, carefully sliding the book on the _History of Magicus Mundus Vol.12_ in his bag, replacing it with a mundane non-magical one, _'More importantly, he does know that this is a magical section of the library, right? Those traps aren't just for the fun, they keep anyone who doesn't take the proper elevator passages out.'_

"I thought this school was weird before, aru." Said another thickly accented voice

"In the mountains, back home we saw really huge trees and stuff all the time de gozaru." a sleepy less accented voice responded

"Is this really a school!" shouted the pigtailed girl next to Negi, _'ah, the infamous Asuna Kagurazaka'_

"I'll die if I fall from here!" the pink haired one observed, showing more common sense in his opinion than the rest of her companions.

Tsuna for his part stayed silent watching the multicolored band make its way down Mt. Bookshelf, happily chattering away without a care, in their slightly deadly afternoon outing.

' _Oooh'_ Tsuna silently awed watching a pink ribbon whip out and hook a neighboring shelf like an old Indiana Jones film, ' _Pinkie's ribbon control is astounding, and Tall One and Chinese Girl are quite skilled too'_

"This place is like some kind of unexplored wonderland!" a _very_ familiar female voice spoke in wonder, as they neared Tsuna's little nook.

"I think" Tsuna called out, smirk working its way to his lips as he watched their surprised reaction to his voice "the fact that this place is manmade at all, kind of debunks the claim that this is place is unexplored Princepessa."

The brown-haired girl he'd been addressing spun around as soon as she heard the sound of her nickname, and a sunny smile lit her face, brightening the dim library.

Tsuna smiled back

"Though I won't deny that such a palace of knowledge is indeed a Wonderland" he continued in a false absentminded scholar tone

"Who is this guy?" Kagurazaka asked with a skeptical look on her face reserved for crazy weirdos on the subway

Tsuna noticed Konoka notice this, and in an instant a mischievous smile spread across her face before going politely curious, as she made no attempt to return his greeting and merely let things play out.

' _Okay'_ well he wasn't going to call her out on whatever little game she was playing

"Could it be the legendary hermit of Library Island?" the small dark haired one, with an actual hard hat on her head asked

"What kind of legend is that?" Pinkie asked incredulously

"He is dressed too nicely to be a hermit de gozaru." the tall one observed, apparently willing to ignore oddity of Tsuna's existence and get sucked into the odd conversation.

' _Apparently but not actually'_ Tsuna noted the slightly defensive stance the girl took, even as squinted eyes never left his position.

"The Library Island Hermit isn't a real hermit; rather he's the spirit of a university student that stayed too long in the Library and forgot to eat, sleep, or drink while studying for a test and ended up dying from starvation." the short dark haired one continued, was her name Yui, Yuno? _Damn, he hated messing up, Reborn always made him study whatever subject they were working on from the very beginning when he did, and the habit had ingrained itself._

"He warns away all travelers attempting to find the Magic Book of Knowledge." Y-name girl continued

"Eeeh really!?" the other girls squealed

"What a horrible way to go de gozaru" tall one… Kaede? playfully intoned.

"Stop making stuff u-" Kagurazaka started to say before she was cut off by an excitable little bundle that brushed past her.

"Tsuna!" Negi cheered having finally caught up to see what his students were gawking at, his eyes brightening for a moment before going dumbstruck at the scene, "What are you doing here?"

Tsuna for his part, casually picked up his cup ( _subtly heating it for steam to rise_ ) and stretched his legs out in apparent relaxation, as if it was completely normal to be drinking a hot cup of joe while being suspended however many feet in the air on a bookshelf.

"Professor" Tsuna said with an acknowledging head tilt, before giving an amused smirk and tapping the regular Economics book in his hand "And what do you mean what am I doing here? It's a library, there's only so many things I _could_ be doing, Negi?"

Not a lie, he was here for the rather mundane reason of checking out and reading books, no matter how odd the content of those books.

As he took a sip of his drink he watched amused as Negi flushed and nodded along with several of the girls who were watching their interaction curiously, while the others looked confused, or in Kagurazaka's case downright weird out.

"Ah that makes sense de gozuru" the tall one said with a hand on her chin, the short blond one nodding empathetically.

"No, it doesn't!" Kagurazaka snapped in an over the top tssukomi, honestly reminding Tsuna of a younger Hayato, "Why is he set up like this is some kind of outdoor café!?"

"I like to read in comfort" Tsuna answered simply, still acting as if his actions were completely justifiably normal; sadly enough, they were by Vongola Standards.

"What're you doing down here Professor?" Tsuna asked turning it back on them, "Don't you have class right now?"

"Oh, the students have been given free period to study for the finals next week." Negi answered, completely ignoring Asuna's incredulity, "We're just looking for uhm, ah, a special… reference book, yes. I want to help them study, yes, that's it, yes."

Tsuna raised an eyebrow at the clumsy response, but chose not to call him out on it

"Well with that many yesses, I suppose I have to believe you."

Okay, he wouldn't call him out _that much_ , Tsuna thought watching the young boy blush

"Do you need any help, looking for this… reference book?" Tsuna asked, he might as well go with them and make sure they didn't hurt themselves or stick their nose into something they shouldn't be sticking their nose in.

"Sure, that would be-"

"Okay, hold up, who is this, and how do you know this guy Negi?" Kagurazaka cut in before Negi could accept for the lot of them.

Negi blinked curiously back at her as if she should have known who Tsuna was, and was wondering why she was even bringing it up

"This is the friend I told you about Asuna, Tsuna Sawada, "Negi explained, when the orange head still looked bemused the boy tried to jog her memory, "I go out to dinner with him every now and then, I met him my first day…?"

Kagurazaka, for her part, wore a complicated look on her face while shooting Tsuna several skeptical glances. Though in her defense, Tsuna was an eighteen going on nineteen-year-old college student, spending time with a ten-year-old boy for no immediately discernable reason.

"I have an interest in teaching" Tsuna spoke up, continuing an improvised story he'd started with Negi earlier in the week; he still intended for his assistance in class 3-A to be a surprise after Finals Week, but if he laid the groundwork out now, it wouldn't seem so suspicious when that one mystery guy randomly transferred into their class.

"Professor Springfield agreed to answer my pestering about his job, I was curious how one so young could advance so quickly and had to talk to him, he's a brilliant mentor." Tsuna continued giving the boy a sly wink, watching as Negi's face went from confused to flushed and embarrassed, he really was a cute kid.

"Uh huh" came the girl's dull reply

 _Tough nut to crack this one,_ Tsuna was honestly surprised the girl wasn't Flame Active, he could all but see the swirling agitated **Storm Flames** in her aura.

"Oh, Tsuna, these are my students I told you about!" Negi spoke up quickly taking control of the situation, ignoring Kagurazaka's incredulous low mutter of _'Tsuna? Since when is he casual with anyone?'_

"These are Yue Ayase" _knew it started with a 'Y'_ , "Kaede Nagisa" _I was right_ , "Ku-Fei" _Chinese?_ "and Makie Sasaki." _And didn't even come close to guessing that last one, damn I really will have to restudy._

Out loud Tsuna responded with a smile and a seated bow from where he was still seated in his suspended desk and chair.

"It's a pleasure to meet you girls!", he called over, before deciding that he was being rude. Standing up and with all the grace of an acrobatic cat, pushed off against the table, did a perfect flip, and landed flawlessly on the adjacent book case the group was standing on, before continuing on as if he did nothing special, "Negi speaks fondly of all of his students."

"Woah that was incredible" the pink one with gymnastic ribbons, Sasaki, exclaimed even clapping her hands

"Thank you, your ribbon work was quite amazing itself" Tsuna smiled back, getting a pleased flush from the girl.

"Good reflexes, de gozaru" Nagisa eyed, while Fei nodded enthusiastically next to her

Tsuna merely gave them both sly smiles, before turning to the last introduced party

"Good to meet you" was Ayase bland unimpressed response

Tsuna snorted

"And this Asuna Kagurazaka" Negi spoke up continuing his introductions by gesturing to the pig tailed girl

"The roommate" Tsuna kindly responded with a nod, to the girl's obvious surprise

"Ah, hey" she gave an awkward little wave, clearly thrown off by his knowledge of her and not sure how to interact with him

"Thank you for forcing a shower on him, he needed it" Tsuna made a mock 'pee yew' smell face, before deciding to get a tiny bit of revenge for her minor bullying of the boy and continuing in an oblivious musing tone "I don't know how you convinced him, he seemed _oddly_ reluctant to speak about the incident, just kept going red whenever I brought it up."

An _adorable_ high-pitched whine sound escaped from Negi's mouth as the teenager when tomato red and mumbled something not looking at him.

Which of course started off a round of giggling from Konoka who had been silently watching his antics with an amused eye.

"And who" Tsuna asked with the most over the top flourish he could muster, "is this enchanting Angel?'

Giggling harder, Konoka responded in kind

"Konoka Konoe, charmed I'm sure" she spoke in an equally dramatic tone, daintily holding out her hand like an old western noblewoman for him to kiss, which he accepted.

"Princepessa Konoka" Tsuna breathed from where he was kneeling, "forgive me if I am too forward, but I must say, you are the most breathtaking woman I've ever laid eyes on."

"Flatterer!" she accused in mock outrage, though she still stepped into his personal space to give him a faux smack on the shoulder, before leaving her hand to slide down on his chest. h

It was at this exact moment of course that Tsuna had a horrifying thought

' _I really hope Setsuna isn't somewhere watching this from the shadows'_ he thought as he watched the younger girls cheeks steadily to go pink, a cold bead of sweat running down his back remembering their last encounter, despite him being the one to initiate this game both times, _'come to think of it, I really hope_ _ **Headmaster Konoe**_ _doesn't have cameras here… in the highly protected magical sector of the library… where they keep careful watch on all nonmagical explorers… … … he totally has cameras here, damn.'_

Still, never one to put an end to hopeless shenanigans, he continued with his second 'First Meeting' with Konoka Konoe all the while pointedly aware of slowly widening eyes around them.

"Ah, but mi Princepessa" Tsuna continued in a hokey over accented tone he'd heard Nono use from time to time, "When flattery and the truth are one and the same, what is a man to do?"

He swore he could here Kagurazaka make a choked sound

"What indeed?" she asked coyly before slowly leaning towards his face

Tsuna eagerly responded

Half a foot between their faces remained…

Four inches…

Two inches…

One…

Pffft

And that was as close as they got before, Konoka lost it

"Just kidding!" the cheery girl said, sticking her tongue out at her shocked friends

... And wow, Tsuna had never seen a real life face fault before, these girls truly were dramatic things weren't they?

"What the heck was that!?" Kagurazaka yelled, pointing an accusing finger back and forth between the two of them

"Just greeting a new friend?" Konoka said with a playfully oblivious tilt of the head

"Is something wrong?" Tsuna asked, doing his best to put a genuinely befuddled frown on his face

"Of course there's something wrong, why would you, who would even, agh!" Oh dear, the poor thing looked decidedly stressed

' _Is this how you felt Reborn?'_ Tsuna watched the girl's over the top freak out, while Negi tried vainly to calm her down while Konoka counterproductively wound her up with her "oblivious" attitude, _'Doing this to I pin and Lambo was one thing, but this girl is so… easy, it's like she has no resistance to teasing at all, I can't help but want to mess with her. If this was how you felt when you met me Reborn, then… no never mind your still a prick, but I think I understand why you were now at least.'_

At the passing thought of his siblings entered his head, a small numbness began to creep up his bones distracting him from the playful bantering.

It wasn't the kind of numbness that came from missing your family and wanting to see them either; it was the other far too familiar parental kind of numbness. The kind that crept up on a parent/older sibling during a quiet moment when suddenly you realize things seem almost a little _too_ quiet, and you try to figure out _what's missing,_ until you have that scary irritating thought of ' _Where are my bad as hell children, and why haven't I heard them yelling or breaking something in the last hour?'_

He didn't mean for it to be as suspicious as it sounded, but he couldn't help it, his V.H.I and just old fashioned big brother senses were warning him that something was going down, ever since he'd called Gokudera and Lambo. His inability to get in touch with the latter since was not helping this feeling.

His departure to a foreign country had been taken with faaar too much loving understanding and nowhere near enough fuss.

And not to doubt the maturity of his family… but Tsuna doubted the maturity of his family.

Call him crazy, but a man tended to get paranoid when things worked out a little too smoothly

 _()()()_

"C'mon Ako!" came the, frankly unnecessary, shout from a _far_ too energetic for a study session voice of Misa Kakizaki.

Sucking in a breath, _it really wasn't her fault that she wasn't some athletic monster like the rest of the girls in her class,_ Ako straightened up and prepared to continue her sprint to get to class as soon as possible.

Misa's rush really wasn't unwarranted though; Incho had made it beyond _painfully_ clear what would happen if any one of them were unaccounted for, for their emergency study session.

Akira had rolled her eyes at how serious the slightly older girl was being about this, but Ako noticed that for all her eye rolling it hadn't stopped her from being first in their mad dash to get to the classroom. In fact, her best friend was so far ahead of them, that unlike Misa, she hadn't even noticed Ako struggling.

Clearly the memory of the last Incho-Negi freak out, during the Bath Incident, hadn't left the tall girl's mind.

Ako shivered at the memory, and pushed forward only to-

"Oomph!"

Wool, too thick to be cotton, smashed painfully into her nose and mouth; a warm and _clearly masculine_ arm wrapped around her back- _close to the SCAR-_ making her jolt back, just as the stranger was leaning forward making them both start to fall the other way.

Ako clenched her eyes tight bracing for impact, but just as they were about to crash, there was a masculine hiss of surprise, the sound of a boot sliding against cement and gravel, and before she knew it she blinked her eyes open to find herself suspended in an awkward dip with a teenage boy in a sweater vest- _explains the wool_ \- the two of them blinking at each other bewildered.

' _His eyes are like a mirror'_ interestingly was the only thought Ako found herself capable of processing as the two of them stayed still in that frozen moment.

Golden brown eyes, stared down into her own; the unusual color made even more so by the way the light was literally reflecting off them, making them look curiously blank and empty, despite the myriad of emotions spreading across the rest of his face.

"-kay" she heard him ask, the sound taking a moment to reach her

"…Sorry what?" she asked, honestly lost on what it was he just said

"I said are you okay?" he repeated frowning, his voice coming out a touch strained

Like a cold splash of water coming over her senses, Ako was suddenly aware of where she was; she was being held up- _by a BOY-_ with zero personal space- _his voice was strained, oh God, I must be heavy-_ in public, after running into him.

Embarrassment came rushing in like a tidal wave, Ako immediately squirmed, suddenly very much aware of the arm that was still around her lower back- _God he couldn't feel_ _ **it**_ _could he!?_

Sensing her sudden apprehension, the boy let her slide down the short distance to the floor before taking half a step back and offering her a hand up, blushing furiously she took it.

"I am so sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going" she apologized profusely as she stood, a small peek revealed several passerby had decided to stop and watch the spectacle. _Great._

"That's fine" the boy waved it off, his reflective eyes focusing on her with almost unnerving intensity, "Like I said, I was more worried if you were alright, you seemed out of it for a minute there."

She wished her skin wasn't so pale and allowed her to blush so easily, he was probably wondering what was wrong with her.

"No, no I'm completely fine… I was just ah, surprised" she explained, not wanting to explain that she had got caught up in staring at his eyes ' _Creepy much Ako.'_

A cursory glance showed that he wasn't in uniform, come to think of it, what was a- _very nicely dressed-_ boy doing so close to the girl's campus anyway?

"Are you sure, I can walk with you towards your next destination" the boy offered with a concerned frown, "You can explain to whomever you were rushing off to, that I got in your way and that you were showing me around."

"Oh no" she immediately waved his offer off, she didn't even want to begin to think of what would happen if she showed up to class 2-A with a good looking _male_ escort… _that didn't come out right, stupid teenage hormones._ "I'm sure I can get there on my ow- "

Before she could finish, she was cut off by a loud frustrated scoff

Turning to her left she found Misa, and a magically reappeared smiling Akira, off to the side watching the entire exchange. The former having interrupted her with the overdramatic scoff, complete with raised arms of exasperation.

Now twice as embarrassed, and three times as irritated, she shot them both death glares when the Stanger turned his head to follow her line of sight.

"I take it these are the friends that you were trying to catch up with?" the boy asked turning back to her with an amused smile, when Misa and Akira both made cheesy obvious waving signals upon meeting his gaze.

"Yeah" she said in a falsely calm tone, having rearranged her face when he turned around, "Those are Misa and Akira… a-and I'm A-Ako, Ako Izumi."

"Fuuta Sawada" the boy, _Fuuta Sawada_ responded, almost reaching for her hand, before apparently stopping himself and giving a bow, which she returned. "I'm visiting my brother at the University, but I've clearly lost my way."

"Oh" she breathed, eager for a way to end this conversation before she had a chance to make a fool of herself, "Well you can find a campus map right over-"

She was once more interrupted by an even more dramatic sigh from Misa, which she thoroughly ignored as she directed Fuuta to the directory, something he was apparently aware of given his twitch of lips. _Thank you, Misa_

"Thank you, Izumi-san," Sawada smiled all gentlemanly, "It was a pleasure meeting you."

"Ah, yeah… thanks for catching me, when I ran into you… earlier" _Ako you truly are a wordsmith beyond measure._

Sawada merely smiled before making his way off in the direction she pointed

"Aaaaaaagh" came the pained groan from her nosey friend

"What" Ako snapped a little more harshly than necessary at the witnesses to her utter fail at social interaction.

"What do you mean what!" Misa shouted, "You completely blew him off, he was trying to flirt with you!"

"No, he wasn't!" Ako hissed embarrassed, "We were just talking, running into someone doesn't automatically mean some love at first sight."

"No, it doesn't." Akira submitted before Misa could, "But he did ask in a round about way for you to show him around."

"Exactly!" Misa cheered vindicated by her 'hard fact' evidence

"So" Ako, brushed off as she quickly sped walked in their original direction

"Sooo" Akira mock repeated, "People don't do that to random people they run into on the sidewalk, unless that person is attractive to them."

Ako flushed

"Whatever, I'll probably never see him again" she brushed off again

"Well that depends-" but thankfully whatever her instigator little friend was about to say was cut off by a phone ring, and Ako sighed in relief, before the voice on the phone filtered through the air between the three of them.

" **Where exactly are you** **"** whispered the demonic voice of their class president, sending shivers through all three girls spines, " **If I recall, there is an emergency study session going on, to save Negi-sensei's job. You wouldn't be thinking of getting in the way of that. ARE YOU?"**

"N-no Class Rep!" all three girls saluted to the cell phone

" **Then get down here NOW!"**

With that any and all thoughts of Ako's - _nonexistent-_ love life was erased as the three of them made a mad dash to the classroom. There were some things in this life scarier and more important than mystery boys.

 _()()()_

 _ **The Ranker**_ let out a sigh as _they_ watched the trio of girls take off at a dead sprint to wherever their destination. Ako Izumi- _pale blue hair red eyes, 51 out of 1300 middle school students of medical potential, 25 out of 32 compatibility with the_ _ **Vertical Sky**_ -was a sweet girl, she hadn't reacted to _their_ tranced state beyond a brief fascination to _their_ eyes.

It was cute.

With a brief inhale, _they_ broke _their_ connection with the _**Ranking Forces**_ of the universe.

Upon breaking his connection, there was a heavy clattering as several objects in his circumference regained their own connection with Earth's gravity. Something a healthy seasoning of **Mist Flames** had kept the three girls, or the various passersby from noticing.

Fuuta took a moment to shake off that odd feeling of _other_ and quickly flipped open his phone to put down as much information as he was able to gleam from the minute of interaction with his three new data samples.

There was a time when he wouldn't have trusted such information on any electronic pallet lest it be liable to getting hacked; but being a member of the inner circle meant access to far more secure databases, besides, this would hardly be critical information.

 **Akira Okouchi** \- Mature, respectful, levelheaded, athletic.

Compatibility with Tsuna-Nii **Flame Wise** : Low, **Socially** \- Medium, **Romantically** \- Medium

 **Race** -Human

 **Gender** -Female

 **Age** -15

 **Height** 175 cm

 **Weight** 75,3 kg

 **Three Sizes** B86-W57-H83

 **Hair Color** -Brown

 **Eye Color** -Blue

 **Blood Type** AB

 **Misa Kakizaki** \- Cheerful, Highly Mischievous, Highly Athletic

Compatibility with Tsuna-Nii **Flame Wise** : Medium, **Socially** \- Medium **Romantically** \- Medium

 **Race** -Human

 **Gender** -Female

 **Height** 165 cm

 **Weight** 74,6 kg

 **Three Sizes** B82-W58-H84

 **Hair Color** -Pink

 **Eye Color** -Dark Yellow

 **Blood Type** -O

 **Ako Izumi** \- ( _Given he'd actually interacted with her the most, his flames were able to connect a bit more to her_ ) Shy, a touch insecure, mildly athletic like most of the girls he'd ran into today, an oddly high ranking in fear of blood, despite her also relatively high ranking in potential medical skills.

Compatibility with Tsuna-Nii **Flame Wise:** Low **, Socially-** Low **Romantically-** Low

 **Race-** Human

 **Gender-** Female

 **Height** 148cm

 **Weight** 67,3 kg

 **Three Sizes** B75-W54-H76

 **Hair Color-** Light Blue

 **Eye Color-** Red

 **Blood Type-** A

"And that just about does it" Fuuta sighed, free from his task of collecting information on Tsuna-nii's future students.

And what a remarkable grouping of students they were; each fiercely intelligent and highly capable in their respective fields of expertise, Fuuta could see why they were chosen for Tsuna-nii to interact with.

"Good" a young voice drawled from his right, "because that was embarrassing, I'd hate to see what would happen if you did that to the ninja girl."

Fuuta flushed and turned to see Lambo Bovino Sawada; the younger boy was leaned casually against the wall, hands coolly in his pockets, staring at him with an amused grin on his face at his older brother's embarrassment.

He hadn't _intended_ on making direct contact with any of them, on the off chance one of them would remember him and somehow make the connection to Tsuna-nii, who would _not_ be happy that they were snooping in on his mission. He'd gone as far as to use _Stalking Cat_ , Tsuna-nii's **Sky Flame** technique that let him **Harmonize** with the environment to make him semi invisible to someone's senses, to get close enough to the various girls and take their rankings.

Unfortunately, doing both took a lot out of him, especially when he had to search a campus this huge, for over thirty students, and he'd finally ran out of steam just as Izumi-san was heading towards him. Instead of unconsciously moving around him, she became aware of his presence just in time to crash into him.

"Were you flirting with her?" Lambo continued his teasing, "Usually you're all super enlightened and monotone, but there you were all _'Pardon me miss, let me hold you in my strong manly arms'_ "

"Where have you been, Lambo?" Fuuta asked blatantly ignoring the teasing, yes it was odd that he even acknowledged the girl's existence in his tranced state, but if he allowed Lambo to get any momentum he wouldn't stop.

"Not chatting up pretty girls apparently" Lambo said rolling his eyes at Fuuta's sidestepping his question, "And I was at Nii-san's apartment, it's actually kind of small, smaller then Maman's house in Namimor-"

"Wait" Fuuta cut him off, eyes widening in slowly dawning horror, "You went _inside_ the apartment, LAMBO, you know Tsuna can feel things like that!"

"I didn't _touch_ anything Fuu- Fuu" Lambo said in a particularly put upon manner, making Fuuta's hand twitch dangerously at the nickname, "I can hide my Flame signature from Tsuna if I really want to."

Fuuta narrowed his eyes suspiciously

"How?" he interrogated, years of being the boy's main caretaker had made him an expert on Lambo's tendency to blatantly disregard what others considered important. Yes, he might have a way to avoid Tsuna, but that didn't mean he hadn't done something needlessly attention drawing, like raid Tsuna's fridge or something.

"Trade Secret" Lambo carelessly shrugged off, which didn't help Fuuta's suspicion at all, "Whatever, are you done chatting up pretty girls, I wanna get to Nammimori in time for Maman's dinner."

Fuuta's mouth watered at the idea of a home cooked meal from the cheery Japanese housewife

"Yeah, I got all the **bonds** in place, I can make the rankings on their skills and temperaments from anywhere." Fuuta confirmed, once more ignoring the allusion to his supposed flirting, "We can come back for the others on Reborn's Persons of Interest List another time."

With that the two brothers started walking their way to the train station, a car would pick them up at the next stop outside the school.

As they walked Fuuta noticed the two of them attracting a fair amount of attention; understandable considering everyone around them was a teenage girl and the two of them clearly were not. Though that wasn't what was garnering the teenager's attention, but rather the curious amount of silence and lack of posturing from the known attention seeker next to him. A glance towards Lambo showed the other boy to be oddly oblivious to the attention, instead focusing on some paper Fuuta hadn't noticed he was carrying.

"What's that" he asked curiously, leaning over enough to show his interest, but deliberately keeping himself from reading over the younger boy's shoulder. That would be a rude invasion of privacy.

"Tsuna's papers, schedules, that sorta thing" Lambo answered easily, apparently not caring in the slightest for their older brother's privacy

"Lambo, you said you didn't touch anything!" Fuuta admonished, making a grab for the papers, only to receive a chiding smack of the hand in turn.

"Don't snatch from me" the younger boy scolded, while Fuuta tried not shake out his hand too obviously, that boy was _hard_ , "And I said I didn't take anything from his apartments, I got these from the admin office, _much_ less dangerous. Did you know his class is going to Kyoto in a few weeks, Tsuna will probably end up going with them."

Attention effectively distracted and all the more annoyed for it, Fuuta patiently waited for the younger boy to pass over the papers willingly, any thoughts of reprimand long gone.

"He's taking an English Literature class?" Fuuta asked with a raised brow

"Its so he can have an excuse to be in the ultra-special class of maximum specialness" Lambo mumbled,

Fuuta did not miss the slightly bitter edge to his words, someone wasn't dealing with Tsuna's departure too well.

"This is all stupid" Lambo complained, "its not like he needs to go to school anyway."

"Tsuna always wanted to go to college Lambo" Fuuta reminded him softly, knowing simply mentioning the importance to the project wouldn't help the younger boy's mood.

"That's not what I mean" Lambo corrected swiftly, it probably was what he meant, but Fuuta wasn't going to call him out on it, " I mean why does he have to try so hard to get close to some middle school kids, what does any of this have to do with trade?"

"Tsuna is one of the few people with enough authority to speak on behalf of the entirety of our society." Fuuta explained patiently, not a trace of annoyance in his voice at Lambo's continued attitude-

" _He's our little brother Fu-kun, he's going to get on our nerves; sometimes on accident, sometimes on purpose, but we can't leave him be. He's our little brother, he looks up to us, so please please try and be patient with him."_

"Does he need a cover as an average student? Probably not, but it's what he decided, and we are not going to do anything to mess with that decision." Fuuta finished with a slightly stern reminder in case the little boy decided to pull one of his rare bratty tantrums out of spite.

"Tsuna just likes to pretend to be _normal_ " Lambo grumbled by way of consent, too stubborn to actually apologize.

"Maybe" Fuutua conceded easily enough, Tsuna had never found comfort in the wealth and ceremony of the Vongola, "But I think he can use a little normal."

"You probably don't understand right now, because it seems like your stuck at home while everybody else is out doing things, but after you turn a man at thirteen and start being expected to carry out exhausting duties? Something simple like doing the dishes for Maman after a quiet night, starts to look like the most relaxing thing ever, so don't knock the normal Lambo."

There was a comfortable silence as the two boys continued their walk, and eventually boarding their train. During the silence it was clear Lambo was contemplating something, but unless he spoke up, Fuuta would leave him to it.

Instead he focused his thoughts on some of the girls he'd seen today; every one of them was very pretty in their own unique way, and sporting some of the oddest blends of features he'd seen in a supposedly civilian environment. From their personalities, to their looks, to some of their odder hobbies.

In particular he focused on the girl who'd ran into him, Izumi despite his brushing it off, Lambo had been right to tease, he never noticed _anything_ in his traced state.

He ( _they'd_ ) called her cute

The thought alone was enough to make him flush. Fuuta didn't… _connect_ with people; at least not with people that weren't already **Harmonized** with his **Sky**.

Sure he could talk to just about anyone, and get them opening up to him, it was just his nature as **Sky** himself, but there was always a distance… a barrier that kept him from putting any stranger he happened to meet into the category of trusted friend. No matter how much time he spent with someone outside Tsuna's sphere of influence the barrier remained, making interactions with them- at least by comparison to his family- seem empty and false, even if they felt whole heartedly the opposite.

So for him to have given any special attention to one person while in his tranced state could mean any number of things:

The theory that Fuuta subtly wanted the most, his distance between other people was shrinking.

There was something specific about the girl that attracted the attention of **The Ranking Prince**

The final, both most and least likely scenario; he was a teenage boy so attracted to a teenage girl he'd spoken through the raw power of being one with the Ranking Forces of the Universe.

And God help him if it was number three, he'd never be left alone by the teasing of his family if it was number three.

' _Come to think of it, I still need to find a way to silence Lambo'_ Fuuta thought eying the still unnaturally silent boy clearly lost in thought, _'Though it's probably going to come at a ridiculously exorbitant price."_

Little extortionist

"Lambo…?" Fuuta inquired curiously to the younger male

"Do you think there's something wrong with us" Lambo suddenly asked in a quiet mumble

The question was so out of nowhere, that it left Fuuta floundering for a moment

"What?" Fuuta asked disoriented, then as the question sunk in, he felt a sudden rise of fury was over him as he grabbed the younger boy by his shoulders, " Who said that!? Who told you there was something wrong-"

"Nobody said anything Fuu-Fuu" Lambo interrupted, with an aggravated roll of his eyes, then rolled his eyes again twice as exasperated when the teen didn't let go from his examination, apparently trying to scan his person for evidence of cruel words stuck on his skin, "I just thought, since Tsuna wants to be normal, and I-pin…"

At the mention of their not really estranged sister, Fuuta found himself deflating

"I just thought, if they want it so bad…" Lambo trailed off with a shrug, and Fuuta felt a little bit of his heart break

He wanted to pull the boy into a hug and comfort him; with everyone seeming to push away the lifestyle that Lambo had been born and raised in as something wrong and flawed, naturally that would lead to the conclusion that _he_ was wrong, that _he_ was flawed.

He kept his arms to his side and tried to find a logical answer to comfort the boy, physical affections like hugs and other perceived "childish platitudes" tended to be treated with scorn by the young _man_ who tried hard enough to not be seen as a child. Only Tsuna, Maman, and oddly enough Kyoya Hibari seemed to be the exception to this rule.

"I'm not going to lie Lambo, to most people, we all are a little bit crazy, and most won't be able to understand or even tolerate us." Fuuta started out slowly trying to put very complex feelings into easy to understand words…

 _And ignore that little lonely part of him that was still a six-year-old boy chained to a desk with a big book and a bloodied pen in his hand that begged_ _ **why…?**_

"But that doesn't me that our existence is _wrong_ " and here he turned to look the younger boy directly into his eyes so the message wouldn't be lost, "You should know our life is a hard one, and sometimes even people like Tsuna need a break from it; not because he's tired of us, but because he wants to be better for us. Y'know he would drop it all in a heart beat if one of us even _implied_ that we were having a hard time without him?"

The other boy looked away, but Fuuta noticed the slight nod

"As for I pin" and he ignored the slight stiffening their sister's name brought up, "… be patient with her okay, she doesn't have the benefit of being a time traveler to help her decide her future and she needs to figure out what she wants like the rest of us slowpokes who don't have their lives planned out by the time their five."

That earned him a scornful snort and eyeroll, but a tension had been taken out of small shoulders, and he seemed to have finally relaxed to the way he was before they'd got on the train.

"After all, she's been pretty patient with you." Fuuta pressed just one more time to make sure his point got across

"Alight alright I got it already Fuu Fuu." The young **Lightening Guardian** waved off, "Shouldn't you be finishing those rankings."

Fuuta smiled pleased, but otherwise left the younger alone and turned to his work confident that-

"Oh and I didn't forget your flirting with that girl, if only I had something to distract me from telling Haru-nee and Felicita that their Baby Bunny Fuu Fuu, was such a _player_."

… _Dammit_

 **A/N: ANNNNND DONE!** This is an awkward as hell place to leave off, but I stated my reasons above. This was originally half written as Chapter 6 part one, and the current chapter six was labeled Chapter 6 part 2 (why did no one tell me something was up?), but after reading that heart warming comment I put a rush order on getting this out. Anyway, Chapter 8-coming soon.

 **BETA READER Application Requirements and Expectations**

Several days before posting, I intend to shoot you a copy of the chapter for you to read, go over, check for errors, and otherwise question and critique. If we work well together, I'll send an outline for my planned Arc, and we can get a discussion going.

Have to have finished one (preferably both) canon fics, and have a good understanding of the characters. Chances are i'll be asking you your creative advice.

Please have posted at least one story of at least 2,000 words, that I might have a small feel for your style.

Tell me something about _this_ story- anything at all, to show you've been paying attention to what I'm trying to do.


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